The Legend of Midna
by Zelda of Time
Summary: An exciting adventure for the Twilight Princess and the descendant of the Hero of Time. A story of Twilight Princess/post-Skyward Sword.
1. A Strange Newborn

"_No! You can chase me all across the Twilight Realm if you care, but you will never take her away from me!"_

"_Please be reasonable, Midnight! This is a peaceful raid, so just hand her over and we won't harm you!"_

_In the Twilight Realm, many stories are told of a legendary princess who would come to save the worlds of light and dark, so every time one is born with a suspected unusual power, it would be taken away to the forest and left there. If it made it's way back, it would be deemed the Twilight Princess, and this one is no exception. The baby's mother, Midnight, is running from the Royal Raiders, the guards of the Palace of Twilight, with her child for safety. She found a small cave up ahead that would house them for the moment, so she dashed toward the cave entrance and hid in the shadows. When the worried mother was sure she had lost the guards, she turned toward the baby in relief, although she knew that it wouldn't hide her for long. Those guards are so fast that it would only be a matter of time before they found her again and took the baby away. So she tried to make the naming as fast as she could make it. There originally was supposed to be a ceremony for naming the child, in which all the citizens of the realm were to come and celebrate the coming of another Twilit, but this time, it would most likely be in the cave they were in now. No company, just themselves._

"_It's time to name you, isn't it? I think I should name you after the legendary princess of the Twilight Realm, who had once saved the universe from destruction. You know… I really think that you will be the next princess in line, but that doesn't mean that you should be taken away from me. I will name you, and it shall be the symbol of your power. I can see it in you, the power sacred to all the Twili. On the back of your hand is the symbol of the greatest power in the world, and I know that it will be used one day to save our world from destruction. I have decided your name. From now on, you will be known as…"_

_Just then, a guard burst into the cave and found her, huddled in the corner with the baby. When he saw her, he called out to the others, who were still desperately trying to find her._

"_I found you! You can't run any farther, so just give it up! Now hand her over. It's to the Forest of Nayru with her!"_

"_No! You can't take her from me! No matter if she's a princess or not, she deserves a protective mother!"_

_By then the others had appeared at the mouth of the cave and did no more than stare at Midnight, the mysterious woman who was defending herself and her child against the most powerful soldiers in the Twilight Realm. Without a single glance at the other raiders, he continued on._

"_You know the rules, ma'am. You must give her up now, she belongs in the Nayru Forest with the others. Just remember that your child may just return safely."_

_Despite his calming words and soothing voice, she did not budge._

"_Fine. If that's how you want it, I'll take her by force." With that, as if on cue, the others ran in and held her back while her newborn was ripped from her grasp with little effort. Desperate to protect her baby, she broke free of the grip of the older Twili and dashed at the one who held the little one. She almost succeeded, but was instead kicked aside and held down._

_That was when she gave up. Before they were out of sight, Midnight wept one shining tear, and it flew into the baby's hand, which disappeared. A mother's tear can hold special properties._

"_May the goddess protect you, my child… My spirit will always be with you…"_

This is but one of the legends of which the people speak

The Legend of Midna

Part One

"That mother was a bit overprotective of this helpless baby, don't you think?" The guard holding the child asked the others as they leisurely walked to the forest in the distance.

"You think that's how a mother should act, stupid? She wanted to save her baby! Of course she would fight back, no matter what!" The guard to his left exclaimed, sounding exasperated.

"Yeah, I know. But we've had to do this several times before, and all those times the mothers didn't put up a fight. Sure, they ran as anyone would do when faced with danger, but this one was overprotective. Maybe this is the one?"

"He does make a point," the guard to his right answered, "I have never seen a mother of any kind in my years of service defend like that. I think we finally found our Twilight Princess."

Later that night, the guards left the newborn in the center of Nayru Forest all alone. She was unconscious the whole way there, and for hours after that. The sound of birds chirping brought her to her senses, early in the morning. One look around and she knew it was the Nayru Forest. After finding her bearings, she started to wander aimlessly around, but soon realized she had gotten herself even more lost. She didn't know what to do, since she was only three hours old. She could already talk, however, due to the fast rate in which Twili grow. But that wasn't the most important thing. She had to find out how to get out of this place, for it had a mysterious feel to it.

After wandering more, she found that it was more or less like a maze of sorts. Her Twilit magic, the powers that all denizens of the Twilight Realm possess, had not come to her yet. That came after about five days. For now, she had to stick to her gut to tell her where to go. However, depression quickly followed in her footsteps. She had only been there for a short time, but to her it felt like an eternity and a day. That was when she decided to stop and think, think like a grownup would, she assumed. She already missed the warmth of her parent that she had seen for only a brief moment. She missed being cuddled. She missed...everything.

That was when she felt something.

She was drawn to something, something very peculiar. It seemed to beckon to her, the force that came from a place toward the heart of the forest. As she crawled toward the mysterious force, she slid down a cliffside into a large mass of white. Looking around, she saw what this white belonged to. These were bones. The bones of the past children who were left in the woods, but failed to return. It immediately chilled her to her own bones, seeing those of other Twili. She hoped she would never have to see anything like it again once she got out of there. The child was drawn to something else, though. She was drawn to a little glowing object in the center of all of the skeletons. Something was odd, though, because all of the boney hands seemed to reach towards it. The force the flame exerted must have been there for a reason, because why wouldn't she die when she came towards it? Those children may have been filled with a natural lust for power, but Nayru, the goddess the Twili looked up to, knew it, so she killed all of them as they tried to grab it. But what was it?

What could this thing be that was guarding itself?

Is it something of importance?

Or is it just a curse?


	2. Dreaming of Zelda

She walked over to the object in question, and felt a great wind coming from it. She came to realize it was a tiny flame, a flame that was blue, pure, bright blue. As she got closer, she was enveloped in it's heat, and she saw a vision from the flame. She saw a great war between people from another realm known as the Hylians and Twili. In the midst of it, she saw a beautiful woman they called Hylia with the harp of the goddess. As Hylia looked upon her people, she played the Ballad of the Goddess, an ancient song with mysterious powers. Before her eyes, she then saw the world's end, the Dusk of Time. In a great void of nothingness, she saw Hylia, saying something as she disappeared into the void. Ancient Hylian words appeared before the child, and it translated to "_this legend has been passed down through the generations. Here it ends, as the hero and the princesses are no more, at the world's end, one by the name of Link will complete the legend, and it will forever remain in the hearts of many spirits…"_ When she saw the flame again in the mortal world, it extinguished itself immediately, and in the center of all of it, where the flame just was, lay a necklace that, in Ancient Hylian, said "Zelda". It was as though she had seen it somewhere, though. She had yet to find out what her vision meant.

"Have I seen this before? I feel as though the power emanating from it was there for the reason the ancient sword of legend only let one wield it. I think that, like the sword, this necklace only lets one person wear it, the one chosen by the goddess Hylia. Maybe I am the one destined to wear it. I heard before that there were three more like this, but with different names, but that's just a legend. Still, I should keep it so it won't get lost."

She put it on her so she wouldn't lose it, and she was imbued with great wisdom. This was what it supposedly felt like for the one chosen to bear the Triforce of Wisdom. It felt revitalizing. The path to the Palace of Twilight opened before her, and quickly she started to run along, eager to get out of there as quickly as she could; it was already midnight. She wouldn't rest until she found the place.

By morning she was greeted by a trail forking, with three different trails. Knowing she wasn't being rushed, she took her time to contemplate where she would go. She picked the one in the center, because even with all of the wisdom in the Zelda necklace, she could not figure out which one was the right path, and she figured that if she kept going straight, she would reach the palace. So she started again, and it went a very long way. She kept going, all the while keeping a sharp lookout for danger. It wasn't until late in the morning when she realized that she had taken the wrong path. She was so angry she could just jump into the infinite void of the Twilight Realm. But she knew better, so she decided to just keep her peace and try and go back to pick a different path.

The child had gone a long way before finally finding where the path forked again.

She seemed to have lost her wisdom after she found out she picked the same path _again_, but the _same one_! She did not eat, sleep, or even stop. She kept going, even when she felt sick. This kept going until she collapsed on the ground, half dead. There wasn't a good chance she would survive this if someone didn't come around.

In her dream, she saw herself, grown up, standing by this glowing thing that looked like a portal, but she also saw a princess, someone with a green tunic, and someone she thought was familiar in some way. It was sort of like an imp, the way she looked. They were calling her by the name "Midna". She was saying something to the people, and she left through the portal and destroyed it. Alone the familiar thing stood, a tear sliding down her cheek, and all went black. All she saw then was the tiny flame she saw earlier. But it whispered something. It said, "They need you".

_That flame…these people…all are familiar… What is this? What does this dream mean…?_


	3. The Twilight Princess

The entire day had come and gone in a flash, until a wandering traveler passed by and saw her. Sensing something special with her, he picked her up and carried her to the edge of the forest. He left some food and water and started a fire for her. She was all white from the sickness, with the exception of her dark orange hair, so he tucked her in with a thick blanket and left quickly, for if he was found helping her, he would be killed on the spot, and they would also kill the little one.

"She's met with a terrible fate, hasn't she? I hope the blessings of the goddess will keep her safe. Is she…?" He stopped himself there. "No. She can't be the one, but there's something about her that I just don't understand. Something… familiar. What is it?"

The events in her dream replayed over and over again, throughout the night and all the next day. On the night of the second day, her senses returned to her one by one, until she awoke fully. Something to remember about the Twilight Realm is that it doesn't have days and nights like a normal world would. It was covered in a perpetual dusk, therefore the Twili have developed a new, refined sense of time so they could tell the time of day.

"What…happened?" She asked herself when she woke up. Then she remembered everything that happened, from being abandoned until passing out. "I have to be more careful, or I'll die out- here?" That was when she noticed she was out of the forest, surrounded by food, water, and a fire. "How'd I get to the edge of the Nayru Forest? And where'd this stuff come from?" She eyed the things that were left for her by the traveler. "Oh, well. It's time to look for my mother. I'm sure that she's worrying about me right now." She made her way to her mother's home, next to the Palace of Twilight, to look for her, but she could see her nowhere. She ran across the Twilight Realm looking for her, but could not find her anywhere. Fearing the worst, she marched hurriedly up to the palace and demanded the guards to let her in. But then realized that they were the guards that had sent her out in the first place, the very people who had ruthlessly separated her from her only family. Out of instinct, she took on a more forceful tone than she had originally intended.

"I order you to let me in this instant! I have important business to attend to with the king!"

The guards looked at her in amazement as they saw the very child they sent out, right there in front of them. They looked at each other in surprise, as they remembered what they had said when taking her out to the forest, and, by royal order, they had to let her in.

"This way…" The guard told her, trying not to sound as bewildered as he truly was.

When they were inside, she was led through a maze of hallways and doors. She might as well start memorizing the paths. It wasn't long before they found the throne room, an ornately decorated place with velvet curtains draped over several windows, and green streaks similar to that of a Twilit's skin covering the walls, obviously built in long ago. The rest of the room, as well as the entire palace, was a depressing gray hue, but she could get used to that. Atop one of the two thrones, a rather fat king sat, adorned in the black garb of royalty. The king looked at her in wonder and awe as he saw that little kid there in front of him after she was sent out into the wilderness to die.

" What's this? You're _alive_?!" The king screamed in astonishment, more or less a question.

"Yes, the baby's still alive. Believe me, we're as surprised as you are... And somehow she can already talk, so we'll have to look into that. But she's alive, and you know what this means, right Your Majesty?"

"...Yes… Alright, then! I declare you, though you are just a little child, Twilight Princess! Were you ever named before you were taken away? Or do we have to name you?"

"You made your guards separate me from my family before I could be named."

"Then it's time to name you, little princess. In honor of your mother, Midnight, I shall name you Midna. And it's the same name as the legendary princess had, as you will learn when you start studying the Twilight Realm's history."

"All hail Princess Midna!" The guards said out loud.

The child, now named Midna, was shocked at what she was hearing. She was the Twilight Realm's own two day old princess?! At least, Twili grow faster than Hylians do. But what was special about her? At best she could talk before she was ready, but other than that, she was just an ordinary Twilit girl.

"So I bet you're wondering what's so special about you? What's special is that you were sent out to die in the Nayru Forest, but instead you survived and found your way back here. That's something worth admiring, don't you think?" The king asked her, as if he were reading her mind.

"Maybe…"

Without warning, he suddenly boomed, "Guards! Fetch the royal garb. This is a princess and you can't mistake it!"

The guards left and returned a few minutes later with a royal dress for Midna. It was similar to that of the king's, except for a princess. They fit it on her with haste, as it seemed as though they were in a hurry for something. She silently protested the roughness under her breath.

"What do you think?" The king asked Midna.

"What do I think?" Midna asked when she found her voice, almost too astonished at the fact that she was a princess to speak. "Well...I _love it_!" She bounced up and down happily at those words.

"I'm glad, because you will be wearing it for the rest of your life. Since you are the Twilight Princess, you have to have it with you at all times. One question, though. How much of the legends do you know already?"

"I know of the part that tells of the Master Sword being drawn from it's place by the Hero of Legend, and how he used it to seal the Demon King Ganon into the Sacred Realm. That's all I know."

He frowned at the fact, but quickly wiped it away. "Then it's time to start learning, Midna. You have missed quite a bit of the legend, and I fear that it is not nearly enough. Now, head to bed. You don't look so good at all. Are you alright?"

"Yeah...I'm fine." She answered, at that moment feeling the toll that had been taken on her from her time lost in the woods and the extreme exhaustion.

"You don't look fine to me. Just tell me what's wrong and we can take care of it."

She shook her head in protest, though it was weak. "I'm…"

Unable to finish, she trailed off and closed her eyes. At first, nobody knew what was going on, until one of the guards saw what was coming. He quickly ran up and caught her before she could collide with the hard floor, as she had passed out once more. Worried for the wellbeing of the new princess, the king personally carried her up to her new room. He carefully laid her down on the bed in there, pulled up a chair, and waited. It was uncustomary for a king like him to do such a thing, but he didn't care about etiquette at this point. All he cared about was making sure Midna would be okay.

Yes, he knew that he had made this happen to her due to abandoning her out there in the wilderness. He cursed himself inwardly for doing such a thing, and promised to make sure that the future royalty wouldn't do that, and give them a test instead. A simple test, in which one would simply be asked a few questions. Only the one true Twilight Princess would be able to answer them.


	4. A New Journey Has Begun

She awoke to find the king right in her face, smiling down on her. She involuntarily gasped in shock to suddenly find a huge face in her's.

"Twilight, sleepyhead." "Twilight" was another way of saying "morning." "You had passed out from exhaustion, so I brought you up here to finally get some true rest."

"Okay, sounds fine…"

"Tell me this though: I know I shouldn't pry, but how _did_ you find your way out of the forest?"

In truth, she didn't know how she made it to the edge of the woods. All she remembered was getting lost on the trail, and collapsing midway. Then she wakes up what felt like only moments later to find she was out of there and close to the palace. Should she tell him that? No, that wouldn't be believable.

Then she gazed down at the necklace she wore. The king didn't seem to ever notice the strange name on it, but she knew that he did. Should she tell him that the necklace guided her out? No, that wouldn't make sense.

She thought hard about her answer before finally replying, "I just knew the way out. I was greeted by a trail forking, and I _did_ get lost, I admit, but I eventually found my way out. I didn't stop to rest or anything until I made it here."

He sighed at her answer. "You should be more careful. I am glad that you made your way back here, but not stopping for anything? Even your own personal needs were cast aside? That is one of the most foolish things you could do in your life, and the last thing you do. You need to think of yourself as well as your destination. Understand?"

She nodded, unable to find any words.

"Good. Then you should eat something. It's been…four days since you had anything? You must be starving."

"You think?"

Midna spent her time learning about the legends from the king. She never paid much attention to him, however, and she had a hard time learning. It's been five years since she stumbled into the palace, and she had learned much since then, but not in history or the legends. The king often reprimanded her for not paying any mind to it, for it was required that she know it before she can truly rule over the land and it's people.

"Really, Midna. Though you are royalty, doesn't mean that you don't have to pay attention to your lessons. Shape up, or you'll never be fit to rule!"

"But I'm bored! I don't want to learn about the legends. What's so special about them?"

The king looked angrily at her. "What's so special about the legends are that they reveal the ancient history of the Twilight Princess. You need to know if you are to understand your responsibilities to the Twilight Realm!"

"But they're too hard to learn!"

"You are going to learn, whether you like it or not, so stop complaining and work!" He paused for a moment as the young Twilight Princess stared him down, a look of irritation still present in her eyes. "Well then, let's continue reading.

_In the ancient land of Hylia, a young boy was born. He was raised into an evil family, his name Link, so he grew up evil, just like his parents. He was in relentless pursuit of the theorized power unknown to many. When he obtained this power, he turned into a Fierce Deity and started a great war: the first War of Twilight. This is when the goddesses intervened, although the goddess Hylia said it was her fault for creating the power, so she went alone. It was an intense battle, as they were equally matched, but Hylia won. She had taken his power away, and he returned to his original form. The goddesses decided that, for his evil deeds, they would place a curse on him. Using the Triforce of Courage, they placed a curse on him, so that every one hundred years he would be reincarnated as the Hero of Legend, bound to the responsibility of the World of Light, bound to the curse of defeating the great evil that lurks in his shadow every era and saving the Hylian goddess reborn. The cycle of rebirth can only be lifted at the Dusk of Time, the end of the world. Thus, in the Twilight Era, he will appear as a divine beast in the Twilight Realm, and is destined to save Hyrule Kingdom from Ganondorf the Demon King…_"

"Still as boring as it had been since the beginning of legends…" Midna remarked from the side as he was finishing. She didn't think he'd notice, but he wasn't stupid.

"_Midna!"_ He screamed in a tone she hadn't heard before, which made her nearly jump out of her skin. "If this is so boring to you, then why don't you just go back into the Nayru Forest and rot there!"

"Fine, if you don't want me to have a personality of my own, then I'll just act like a robot."

"What's a robot? You don't need to be devoid of any emotion, you just need to die down on the remarks."

"I can't help it. It's a weakness of mine."

"Then I will wait for you to outgrow it, but I'll still control it to the best of my ability. Just try to learn, will ya?"

Midna spent years in the Twilight Realm royal palace taking care of things. She soon got the hang of it, and was starting to get tired of it. But she still had to do it, even though she sometimes didn't want to even get out of bed. The dress she wore was practically a part of her because she wore it twenty four hours a day. She wore it to bed, as well. She had learned the legends, at last, although rather slowly. But as long as she knew them, she was sure she would be fine.

One day, as she was straightening things out and cleaning the throne room, a Twilit walked in. He was taller than usual, and he had similar clothing to Midna. He wore a strange mask over his head, so she couldn't see his face, which immediately raised her guard.

"Can I speak to the Twilight Princess? It's very important." The stranger asked.

"Right here." Midna replied, sounding casual.

"I was thinking about all the stress you are put through every day, so I thought I could take over for you while you get your head screwed on straight. If that's fine with you, that is."

Midna and the stranger both headed to an outcropping of the Palace of Twilight. Midna didn't know what was going to happen, so she simply expected continuous begging from him.

"My name is Zant, and I would like to give you a break from all of the work you have been through. I think that you need a well deserved vacation, and I can make that happen. What do you say? Do you approve of this, Princess Midna?"

"Listen here, Zant, I don't need any help with anything around here, you hear me? I don't have to have any breaks because I am not stressed out. Now that I have made myself clear, get out of here before I send in the guards."

"But wait. Look, I swear by the goddess that I won't usurp you or anything. Can't you just give me a fighting chance at this? After all, we are brother and sister."

Now she knew who this man was: her brother. And when he said he wouldn't usurp her, that raised her guard even more, because that was a dead giveaway. Her brother wasn't the smartest Twilit in the world.

"Look. I don't care what you say. You aren't going to take over, alright? Do you understand me now?"

Zant was expecting this to happen, so he came prepared.

"I thought you were going to say that. So I will give you a special treat." He started approaching her, an evil look on his face. "I have something that you might like, in exchange for your choice."

"Stay back! I don't want to hurt you." Midna yelled at him.

"Nope! It's too late for apologies now, princess! I will rule the dimensions, and you can't do a thing about it! But I know what you can do. You can look like this!"

At that, Zant stretched out his arm and cursed her. She collapsed onto the ground, taking on a different form. Midna looked up at herself in horror as she saw the hideous little imp she saw in her dream instead of herself.

"Now go! I don't want to see your face ever again, Midna!"

She attempted to fight back, but she soon came to realize that she had also been stripped of her power, which was granted to her by the king as the Twilight Princess. So she chose to retreat and come back with reinforcements.

As Midna limped out of the palace, she felt a new power surge through her. It was not the power that she had when she put on the necklace, it was the thirst for revenge. She placed a relic of the Twilight Realm, known as a Fused Shadow, on her head, to cover most of her face. She had the power to teleport whenever she wanted, known as warping, so she did so she could escape the Twilight Realm.

The portal she created using some of her ancestors' magic proved to be effective, as she was taken in only seconds to the Light World, a forgotten place to the Twili. Those who were banished to the Twilight Realm normally couldn't find their way back, but she could.

A new journey has begun for the Twilight Princess.


	5. The Hero of Twilight

"Finally. I made it to the World of Light. But I can't be in my new form, I have to be a shadow." She slid into shadow form and started exploring. She found many interesting things in this new world, especially the Farore Forest, known to the Hylians as Faron Woods, but the most interesting was a great wall. The Curtain of Twilight. It must have seeped into the Light World. With the twilight in the World of Light, she could be in her cursed Twilit form. She slid through the wall with ease, eager to feel the air of the twilight again, but it wasn't the same. Instead of the calming atmosphere she had felt her whole life, she instead felt malevolence creeping about her. She ignored it and went around to explore, and found nothing of importance or anything that caught her eye at first, but she found something else after a while. What she found was something spectacular. She found a great castle, far greater than the Palace of Twilight. It seemed to be in about the same place in this land as her palace was back home, in the center of the realm. She went inside to see what it was like, winding her way through narrow corridors, but not nearly as confusing as her's, and what she saw was a figure standing by the window. It somehow seemed familiar to her.

"Who…are you?" Midna asked, a bit apprehensive.

The figure turned around. It was revealed to be a young girl, who appeared about her age, and had a heavy cloak on.

"I'd like to ask the same for you." She answered, much calmer than Midna.

"My name is Midna, and I would like to ask your name."

"...Zelda…"

"Zelda?!" Midna nearly screamed. She looked down at the necklace she wore. She hid it in fear that it would be taken from her."I think I know you somehow. I was banished from my home, and I need to get back."

"Where do you live? I could probably tell you how to go back."

"...The Twilight Realm." Midna hesitated. "Yes, the Twilight Realm, a place of darkness. At least, _now_ it is a place of darkness. It will no longer be the Twilight Realm if I let a man named Zant transform it. Can you help me?"

"I have been to the Twilight Realm with the use of the second Mirror of Twilight. But it is a forgotten place. You may not be able to find it, and even I forgot where it was. I lost a necklace there, and I had been wanting to go back to get it, since it's in the Nayru Forest there. But there is another way. The Hero of Time is to appear as a divine beast, according to ancient legend. He would be in Faron Woods. Go there and find him. He can help you."

"Thank you, Zelda. I will be right back."

Midna and Zelda both didn't know what to expect. An owl? A bear?

Before Midna left, she turned around and looked at Zelda again. "One more thing. This form I'm in…it was in a dream of mine before I came here. It's not my true form. Do you have any idea what form this is like, or the purpose of it?"

"Midna, I don't know. I had a premonition of a great war coming, the second War of Twilight, but I don't know of the form you speak of. I think you will find out later, but for now, just find the hero and bring him here. I have something to tell the both of you."

She left with haste afterwards, Zelda watching her all the way until she left the castle courtyard. She didn't want to warp in fear that the princess would freak out. Yes, she knew Zelda was a princess just from looking at her. She found many people along the way, but they had not seen her, for they were nothing more than spirits without the light they thrived on. They only knew fear. She didn't have any particular pity for them, as their hero would save them anyway.

Thankfully, she already knew where Faron Woods was, as she had only been there a few minutes ago. The Light World wasn't exactly a huge puzzle to her, but it could still take some getting used to. Still a shadow when she returned to the light part of the land, she located the woods with ease. She wondered why it was called Faron Woods, and not it's real name, the Farore Forest. But that, she assumed, was just a Hylian twist to the name. She never believed in more than one goddess, just like the other Twili, so she found it odd that the Light Dwellers worshiped _four_.

Just like the other place she had just been to, the Lanayru Province, the Faron Province was still shrouded in twilight. It was one of her favorite things about this world, except that she knew that eventually it would disappear if she could find this hero.

Midna sank into the twilight of Faron Woods and began looking around for clues. Eventually, after a while, she found something peculiar. What she found was someone being held by the throat by a weird looking creature. He was struggling to break free of it's grasp, and it started to strangle him. The beast seemed to not have a face. She knew they were transformed Twili who were sent into the Light World by Zant, and she couldn't help but feel disgust for her brother. The person's left hand began to glow, and the monster let go of him, throwing him on the ground. He had seemed to be in pain. From Midna's point of view, he looked too weak to stand.

"Aw, that can't be the hero. He's not a beast. But he's so cute! But…all the humans I've seen in the twilight-except for Zelda-were spirits, so why isn't he?" Suddenly, he let out the most horrifying shriek she had ever heard and transformed into a wolf! For a moment, she was completely dumbfounded at the sight of a normal human suddenly shrieking and changing shape, as she had. She thought she was the only one. The next thing she knew, he was being dragged away by the monster, and she decided to follow it.

"That was the weirdest thing I've ever seen. I guess he really is the hero! Maybe I should just leave the hard work to him. But since he's the hero, I guess I'll free him. And I thought heroes could free themselves from danger." Midna told herself sarcastically as she trailed the beast. She also decided that, even though it was completely against her nature, she would be mean and strict to him, for she didn't want him to turn into a softy from kindness. She wanted him to be strong, like a true hero would be.

What she saw was the monster chaining the wolf up in a prison cell in the sewer of the castle. It woke up, and realized that it was trapped in a prison. It tried to break free of the chain, but it was too weak to. Midna thought she might as well let it out. Maybe he was still in pain? Because if he wasn't, he probably would've bitten the chains right off his forepaw.

The wolf struggled to cut the chains loose, but still couldn't. Then he looked over through the prison bars and saw Midna, floating there, staring at him. She had an evil look on her face, and that made the wolf a little suspicious. She continued to stare at him, but suddenly smiled and hopped right in the cage out of nowhere.

"I found you!" Midna said to him. The wolf started to growl at her. "Ooh, aren't you scary! Are you sure you want to be doing that? Snarling and glaring at me?" She shook her head in disdain when he continued to growl. "Well, that's too bad. I was planning on helping you, if you were nice." He immediately stopped growling and stood up. "That's better! You humans are obedient to a fault, aren't you?" She started bouncing his head up and down with her hand. "Oh, but you _aren't_ a human anymore! You're a beast!" The wolf tried to bite her, but she stood back. "Hey, hey now, no need to bite!" Midna created a small ball of dark magic between her hands, a part of her ancestors' magic, and blasted the chains with it, causing it to break. The wolf jumped back at the sudden burst.

"Are you wondering where we are right now? We are at Hyrule Castle, sorry for the spoiler, and there is someone here that I want you to meet. She can help you, since you're so helpless. Just don't make me do all the work for you! Let's go." Midna jumped on the wolf's back. "So, what are you waiting for? Let's get a move on!"

Soon Midna and the wolf made it outside the waterway. It was rather dark out, windy and rainy. It's always raining in the twilight of Hyrule, which was the land they were in. The entire World of Light was Hyrule. She glanced around, as did her mount, at the depressing twilight.

"Finally! I'm loving it outside right now. Don't you think the black clouds of twilight are so pretty?" She paused for a moment. "Only a little farther. Come on!"

The wind was high this twilight as they moved forward. Just like in the Twilight Realm, time didn't seem to pass. It was a little hard to stay on the narrow pathways of the roofs of houses. They had to make sure they didn't fall off. They both ran up a stairway when they made it to the tower where the princess waited, and into her bedroom at the top. They found Zelda, still standing where she was when Midna last saw her. She turned around and saw her on the wolf's back, seeming to glare at her for an eternity with her one red eye that was exposed.

"Midna? Is that you?"

She made the wolf walk up to the Princess of Hyrule as she said, "What an honor to remember my name! You really _do_ have a good memory, for a princess." She smiled.

"So this is the one you were looking for?"

"Not what I had in mind, but I guess so."

She knelt down in front of the curious looking wolf, and eyed the remainder of the chains around his left forepaw. "...You were imprisoned? I'm sorry. This all happened because of me."

" Why don't you tell him what you managed to do? You owe him that much."

Princess Zelda looked back at the wolf, who stared at her, as she stood up.

"Listen closely. This land is called Hyrule, but it has been ruined, transformed by those who hate the World of Light… It was a dark day, as hundreds of monsters stormed in and captured all of my guards. Then the King of Twilight, by the name of Zant, came in through all of it and gave me a choice, surrender or die. I chose to surrender to protect everyone. But it sort of backfired on me when I found out what he was going to do with my kingdom. He chose to transform it into a land of shadow, where everyone becomes as spirits, knowing only fear. But we didn't transform into spirits like the rest of them because we each hold a Triforce, and that is the only thing that protects us from it. If you didn't have the Triforce of Courage, you would be a true beast, not that wolf you are now. With the Triforce of Wisdom, I can also stay in my true-ish form. That, you will find out what I mean later, perhaps. Midna, do you know his name?"

"No."

"His name is Link." She then turned back to the wolf whose name was given. "Link, you must banish the twilight from this world if you are to ever save it. The Twilight Realm is to be in the one dimension, not in two. And the King of Twilight is planning to take over the entire universe. If you don't make it in time, it will be too late. Please, save the kingdom of Hyrule."

"So, what do you say, Link? Are you going to dawdle or are you going to save your world?" Midna asked him teasingly as she patted him on the head, a little soft. The wolf known as Link looked at Zelda and thought he remembered something. He decided to forget about it for now and turned around to leave.

Midna led him outside the castle and stopped. She looked into the sky in a daydream, but quickly snapped out of it when she saw Zelda looking at them, as she always did when she was worried.

"You can save Hyrule now if you want, but is there something you forgot about?" She paused for a moment and saw that he didn't remember. "The kids, idiot! Don't tell me you don't remember Colin, or Talo and Malo, or even Ilia! You have a very small brain to not remember that they were kidnapped! Yes, I saw it all. I hide in the shadows of the Light World. You have to save them, you knew _that_ at least, right?" She didn't give a moment for him to attempt to answer. "Good! I will warp you back to the spring where they were taken. I want you to do something there." Midna warped him back to the spring before he could stop her.

When he got there, he thought Midna was gone. He would've sighed in relief, but he knew he couldn't anyway, even if he wanted to. However, the joy was to be short lived. As he was leaving the spring, ready to find out how to return to his true form, Midna appeared out of his shadow.

"I told you I hid in the shadows. Now, do you remember the thing I wanted you to do? Of course not, because I never told you, am I right? I need you to get me a sword and shield that will suit me. You got that? Because I don't want to even _touch_ those ugly monsters, and I guess that doesn't include you. But, I suppose I need to consider you in this, because as the Hero of Legend, you need to do the work. Or is it the Hero of Time? The Hero of the Skies? The Hero of Men? The Hero of Winds? How many names do you go by?!" She sighed for him instead, but in exasperation. After a moment, she glared back into his cerulean eyes. "Eh, doesn't matter. I'll just call you Mr. Important Hero until I decide on a name. Let's just go!"

_Midna seems meaner and bossier than usual, and that's saying something. And I don't know of this 'Hero of the Skies', so what's that?_ Link thought. Too bad he can't talk...

"One more thing. You won't turn back into a human any time soon, so don't rush it unless you really want to get out of the fur. Go!"


	6. The Voice

As he made his way back to the village with Midna, he started to have doubts that she was really with him and not against him. She was acting like a jerk to him, and now she wants weapons! He didn't know what was going on, so he just went along with it. Besides, he thought, he might find out something from all the experience he will get from it. He might be able to defeat her if she turns out to truly be evil, so for now he will do what she says and see what comes out of it. Maybe he could even take the sword and shield from her as well! He wouldn't mind having an actual sword and shield of his own. After all, the closest thing he had to a real sword was that cheap wooden one he always showed off his moves to the children with.

Link and Midna found an empty house and jumped in. They found a shield hung up on the wall. It wasn't too hidden, as the people of the village didn't think that a beast would jump in there and take it. He ran up to it and bashed his head on the wall, causing it to fall. Midna grabbed the shield. If you don't think that hurt, think again.

"Alright. Next is the sword, so hurry up and get it. And from the look of the sky, it doesn't look like you have much time left before the kids… Well, you know what."

Link jumped out the window and into the water. He overheard someone talking about a sword they were keeping in their house.

"What…what was that sound? Uli, I'm going to go out and check one last time for beasts. I left the sword that Link was going to take to the royal family on the couch, so make sure nobody takes it until he returns."

"But Fado, your injuries!"

The man known as Fado ventured out a little ways without a second's thought. It was true, he did have some injuries, as his head, right arm, and left leg were bandaged up. Of course, Midna didn't seem to care, as she went on casually, as if it were an ordinary day in the Twilight Realm.

"Well, there you go, Link. One sword right up ahead. You can get that on your own, right? Remember how you got out of the prison cell? Well, use your brain to try and look for a hole again!"

Link hurried over to the house and looked around, but couldn't find any holes. He knew something was wrong with this. He couldn't use a door like a normal human, so what? The closest he could find to a hole was a little dibbit in the ground, but that wasn't nearly enough.

"No, no, stupid! Use your senses! Use your senses!" He tried again, and this time he found a hole right in front of him. That little dibbit turned into a wide hole, large enough for him to dig through. He dug a tunnel through it and went into the house, where the sword lay on the couch. He picked it up and gave it to Midna.

"Good. You got the sword and the shield. Maybe I could use you to help me after all! Well then, now you must go back to Faron Woods, where you first were pulled through the twilight. I can and will let you in now that you got some of the things that I wanted, so let's get a move on! Oh, and if you don't want to return to your original-ish form, that's cool. I just have to curse you, that's all. Just give me the word if you can, and I will place a curse on you that can't be broken."

_Why should I listen to you? Why shouldn't I do what I want to do, Midna? What's so special about you, that you should boss me around so much? Just let me do what I want to for once, because this isn't helping!_

"Link, why would you say that?!" Then a realization hit her. "Wait, you can't exactly talk, so why do I hear your voice, or whatever voice, telling me what to do?"

Link traveled all the way to the Curtain of Twilight, where Midna came out of his shadow. She had a smirk on her face, the same one that she wore when she first found him. He thought she was up to no good, so he bared his fangs in an attempt to defend himself, until she said something else.

"Hey, look. The Faron Woods you know so well…it's now covered in twilight. You may not come back here, but do you want to go anyway?" Link nodded. Midna shifted through the twilight and pulled him through with a giant hand. That gave him a nightmare soon enough, or should it be called a "Twilightmare," because it would remind him for the rest of his life of the monster that was choking him back in the twilight Faron Woods. She had pulled him through like that on purpose, for she wanted to make him stronger through experience, not lectures.

Back in the castle, Zelda still stood there, waiting for the depressing twilight to disappear. Someone came in the room.

"How are you enjoying the pleasant view, princess?"

"Zant!"

"Yes, Zant. I told you that your people would be spared, so instead of destroying all of Hyrule, I transformed it into twilight. Much more merciful than what could've happened, don't you think? I could've killed them, but at your behest, I didn't. Even I can be respectful to royalty, being as how I'm a king. But what I'm wondering is, why aren't you a spirit like the rest of them?"

"Because I am far more powerful than you think."

"Is that so? Why didn't you fight me with that fancy sword of yours that you had back there, then, if you were powerful?"

"Because if I killed you, your god would supposedly bring you back, and your shadow beasts would have killed everyone and destroyed Hyrule. That's why I surrendered, and let the land be transformed into twilight and them living as spirits, in fear of a nameless evil. My people would understand if they knew what was happening. So I will just sit here and wait for the Hero of Time to save us. That is my plan."

"You are very smart, princess, so I will tell you something. You are lucky to be trapped in here, by my god, and that luck will soon run out, for soon his master plan will be complete. He has the Triforce of Power, so there's no way he can lose! All he needs is the Master Sword's power, and that he can easily get. In fact, Zelda, he is out harnessing it's power right now. You never said he couldn't get the power without touching the sword, did you?"

"If he goes anywhere near that sword, he will die, and that will be my chance to take back my beloved kingdom."

"Oh, Zelda, Zelda, Zelda. You are always so naive, and that's what I like about you. How about this? You can come back to the Twilight Realm with me and become the new princess of that, or you can sit here and die. Your choice."

"I would gladly die here in my Realm of Light, not your pathetic kingdom!"

"Fine. If that's how you want it, I will let you do that. Goodbye, Zelda, great goddess reborn!" Zant walked off laughing.

"Please Link… Save Hyrule...and yourself..." Zelda whispered to herself.

"Link, these weapons look kind of cheap." Midna said to him. "Are you really sure these can slay the twilight beasts?" She dropped them next to him on the ground in disgust at the flimsy tools. "Well, I won't be needing these, but I will hold onto them for you. But there is something else that I'm looking for. Trust me, it will be easy." She paused. "But first, you must find the Light Spirit and save it, like Ordona the spirit of your village had said. Only then will you be able to find even the _first_ piece of what it is. So, you will, right?" She paused again. "What? So the story didn't say anything about the spirit Ordona. Who cares? Just go along with it!"

Link and Midna, riding on his back, traveled through the twilight, a monster infested realm, and found many things, including the same spirits that were mentioned before. It unnerved him, to be sure, but the Twilit on his back seemed unfazed by it, as she always seemed to be. They listened to their talk, Link mostly, as much as he could, until he was abruptly cut off by an impatient imp.

"This is no time to listen to a spirit, lazy wolf!" She would always say to him in her usual tone that he had grown accustomed to.

After a while of listening to spirits and the imp yelling, they found the Light Spirit. It looked like a floating pile of dust. At first, they weren't quite sure it was it, until it started to talk to them. It had a faded voice, like they imagined it would be like. It sounded distant, like that of a true spirit.

"You have been transformed…by the power…of the Twilight Realm… Come…to me…"

He trotted over to the dust-like spirit and looked at it in confusion. It was the funniest looking spirit in the world to them, especially to Midna, who couldn't help but laugh.

"I understand that I look funny to you…but now is not the time. You must…save these woods…from the spread of twilight… Gather my scattered light…and put it in this vessel…" The spirit gave them a vessel. It must be the only thing that could hold the light that was scattered around the woods. "Find the light…and bring it back…and Midna…don't forget who you truly are… You are special in unforeseen ways… Don't be afraid to tell…anyone who you are…"

"Look, Link! Look at the map, lazy wolf! It's been marked with targets!" Midna said to him. "What are these targets on our map for?"

"The targets…are to tell you where…my light is…hidden... You must use your power, Link…in order to find them…for they are the form taken by the evil…that has latched onto the light."

"So, stop wasting time and get a move on! We don't have much time. Soon all of Hyrule will be covered in twilight, and it will be all your fault!"

_Can't you just shut up, Midna? This is serious! Maybe if the world is covered in twilight, it will be your fault, not mine. So you listen and shut up!_

"I heard that voice again… What's going on here, Mr. Important Hero? Are you saying something to me, Link? Is it… Maybe it _is_ that!"

…_?_


	7. Slight Change

Things had seemed to be easy for them. Midna thought it was too easy for them, so she started to suspect that something was going on around there that was hiding, waiting for them so it could strike and kill them on the spot. Midna decided to keep a sharp lookout, often looking behind them to see if anyone was following them. Everything seemed clear, but she didn't know that there really was someone after them. Someone who can hide in the shadows better than her. Someone who had known her since their childhood. Someone who wanted revenge for what she had done to him. He was from the Twilight Realm, and he wanted revenge for stealing something that had belonged to him. He wanted something called the Fused Shadows back from the goddesses, and he figures Midna and Link are the direct links to them, and knowing that they each have a special power of their own, this mysterious person would stand no chance against them right now, so he waits and observes, then makes his move. He also had the ability to freely transform into a wolf whenever he wanted to, unlike Link.

"Good thing there was that leak in the mask that held me for so long, or I would have never made it out of there. Dumb goddess… How could she have sealed me in there for a thousand years?" The creature in their shadows whispered to himself as he silently waited.

"Finally, the last one. Hurry up and get it so we can go! I've been getting impatient all twilight, and I'm starting to get hungry." Midna complained.

As they got the last Tear of Light, as they were called, the twilight started to disappear. Midna started to seep back into shadow form, and Link was becoming confused pretty fast.

"Don't forget to go to the Forest Temple, where what I am looking for is waiting for you and me." She told him from his shadow. "See you later!" The Light Spirit started to appear with an orb of sorts. The spirit looked kind of like a monkey with an oversized tail.

"I am the light spirit Faron." It started to say. "Thank you for recovering my lost light...but there are others who need you. Go to the temple deep within these woods, where you will find the forbidden power you seek. Your past incarnates also had to find relics from ancient times with dark history…but this is like none other. Midna will tell you what they are later. But I can tell you that with your past lives, and the relics of those time periods, there was always a dark opposite hiding, waiting for the right time. You must know this because you must be prepared. You are the Hero of Time, and if you fail now, you will cease to exist, and the cycle will be broken… Link, for nearly a millenium now you have saved Hyrule from the evil Ganondorf, you have even been to alternate dimensions to realize your destiny. Your lives have all had a different level of courage, as is your power. It may be some power, some wisdom, or pure courage. It is almost always a mix power, as is yours. You must defeat the evil forces if Hyrule is to be saved once again." The spirit faded into the spring.

"So, you're the hero? Like I didn't know that was coming. And the spirit also said that your courage was a mixed one with power? This should be a piece of cake for you, then! But enough of that, remember that you have to go to the Forest Temple. It's contents will help the both of us on our adventure. Let's get going!"

Link has had many lifetimes, and this time, he has a mixed power. He still couldn't believe it.

"Wait, Link. Look at yourself. You look different. Not the fact that you're human again. You have different clothes than you used to. I think I remember that tunic from somewhere, but I can't be sure. I also can't believe that you haven't noticed any of that yet. Are you really that stupid or what?" She paused for a moment. "Never mind about that, though. We need to save Hyrule as fast as possible, and to do that, you have to get what we're looking for."

Along the way to the temple, Link thought something felt strange, like something was following him. Like something was going to attack at any moment. But he decided to ignore the feeling and move on. He could almost feel the forest's energy intensifying as he got closer. Almost as though a dark power was in that energy, meaning the spirit's energy has been disturbed by an evil force far greater than it. This would mean that he didn't have much time to dawdle. He would have to remove the power from the spiritual energy, or it will be corrupted, and destroyed, meaning that he would have lost and the forces of evil would enslave all of Hyrule, since Faron Woods is the strongest source of all the spirits' power and light.

There was a monkey along the way that had a ribbon in her hair, and as they approached a section of the woods covered in a thick purple fog, it took it upon itself to take Link's lantern from his grasp and lead the way. He recognized that monkey as the one back in the village that everyone seemed to freak out about. He became inexplicably angry, as did Midna, more so than usual.

But that monkey was friendly. Not only did she lead the way, but she also gave it back when they reached the other side. They found their destination right in front of them at that point, and the monkey ran into the place.

"Finally, the Forest Temple. Let's hurry up and get what I am looking for. You may feel strange at first when you come near it, but by the time you get the second piece, you will be used to it. But for now, you will need to get over it, because you will feel it all during your adventure. Good luck!" Midna said to Link.

Hmm...she didn't normally wish him good luck.

Soon enough, they were inside the temple, and it was pretty dark in there, or at least it was at the entrance. Once they got a little farther into it, they could see better. But what was there, in front of them, was the same monkey that they had seen a moment earlier, in a cage. That seemed odd, since monkeys are normally harmless. Link sliced the wooden cage in half with the sword that Midna had kept for him and set the monkey free. It instantly climbed the vines behind it and called to them. Midna was the only one who could understand it.

"It's telling you to follow it somewhere. I wonder where this will go?" She said. "...You do want to find out, right? Well then, get going!"

_There's_ the usual Midna.

The monkey led them to many more of them, and she expected him to free all of them. After freeing four of them, they all led Link to a bridge that was broken earlier before they came, where they formed a monkey chain so he could get across. When he got through the chain, he found a door in front of him. He opened it (good thing he had a key!) and went in, and all he saw were pillars and an oversized monkey with a boomerang. He had to laugh at it, it looked so ridiculous. It started taunting him, so he started chasing it, but didn't really know what to do. It threw it's boomerang at him, knocking him down.

He sprang to his feet almost immediately and ran at it, only for the same thing to happen. That was when he figured he'd figured out his attack pattern by now, and mentally devised a strategy. Then it did something he didn't expect. Instead of throwing the boomerang at him again and knocking the wind out of him, it instead threw it upward, toward the dilapidated ceiling, and dragged down two plants that resembled Venus Flytraps. At first, he didn't see any point in doing so, but soon came to realize that they had a mind of their own, and not only that, but were capable of free movement.

Link fended off the first one with ease, but he was too focused on that one to pay attention to the second one. It was the smaller of the two, therefore it could latch itself around his neck, it's teeth penetrating the skin. He let out an involuntary yelp as he felt the initial shock. He attempted to rip the pest off him, but found it's grip to be too strong. Midna saw what was happening from the shadows and jumped out from under his feet to get a better look.

"Really? A mighty goddess chosen hero can't defend himself against a plant?"

The large monkey who called himself Ook gawked at him from a distance, not expecting him to survive. So he sat back, boomerang in hand, and watched the amusing sight.

Link couldn't hear the monkey or Midna's screeching. All he knew at that point was pain. Back in his village, he never felt anything truly painful, at least not like this. Midna noticed that his eyes were beginning to droop, as he was losing air with each passing moment.

"Ugh… I guess I'll help you. But only because I need you!"

Using the strength in her shadow form, she began to pry the plant loose. When it let go and fell onto the ground, Link saw the opportunity to end it. Through his blurred vision, he could just barely see Ook freaking out. Even though he was crazy dizzy and in obvious pain, he pushed through it and, using his sword, knocked the hysterical monkey right off the platform it stood on. He realized that this was his chance to attack, so he used his sword once again and started slicing it's head, sending it flying. It looked at him, then hopped out of the room, screaming. Link picked up the boomerang it left behind and kept it. It was known as the Gale Boomerang, and it creates a tornado of sorts when thrown. It houses the Fairy of Winds.

"So it left it's weapon behind. I guess you can keep it then. Let's get out of here and free the rest of the monkeys so we can get this over with." Midna said. "I'm guessing that there aren't too many left, about…five, so this should be over quick."

Then she noticed that he didn't look too well. He was completely pale, and where the Deku Baba, as it was called, had bitten into his neck, streaks of red flowed down under his tunic. She looked into his now glazed over eyes and saw exhaustion.

"Don't be such a baby. Just move on so we can get this place over with." She chastised as she saw him closing his eyes. Unable to keep himself up any longer, he collapsed onto the ground beneath him, and she couldn't tell if he just fell asleep or if he had unwillingly lost consciousness. Either way, she was confused, but let him rest for the moment.

The moment she had given him slowly turned into minutes, then hours, then the entire day and night. After she lost all patience for him, she hovered over and swiftly kicked him in the side, jolting him awake with a moan.

"It's about time you woke up, wolf. Can we go now?"

He had stopped bleeding, to be sure, but that didn't mean he still didn't have difficulty breathing. He pushed through it, as he already had, and moved onward. She noticed this and couldn't help but admire it.

_Maybe he can help with my mission to take back the throne after all. But then again, he's pretty useless, I could turn against him, but why would I do that when I could just make him do the work for me? It seems like the right thing to do, so I'll just stick to that. _Midna thought as they moved forward. _Right now, however, the Fused Shadows are more important than him. I need those, so that is the mission for right now. I also want to make sure he doesn't turn against me, so I'll keep him in check. Then maybe I'll consider actually saving Hyrule, since it's really not that important to the safety of the Twilight Realm, other than the legends._

The pain from being bit never truly subsided, but it always hit at the worst possible moments. For example, he was busy fending off a spider at least four times his size, and the pain in his neck returns to him, distracting him from the task at hand. The spider lands a clean bite on his left forearm, and he's left with more pain. Luckily, that one wasn't poisonous, and he could move on without worrying too much about it, though it still stung.

Soon enough, the rest of the monkeys were free, Link got the key to the boss's dungeon, and the monkeys formed a giant swing, which will lead them to the boss, all the way across the huge gorge that blocks it off. The door was too heavy to open, however, and too old, so Midna opened it herself, or destroyed it, rather. When they were inside, they saw a lake of poisonous water. It started to splash, and out came the biggest plant they have ever seen! Diababa, the Twilit Parasite. It looked as though it could swallow them both whole. He thought about just turning around and leaving, hoping never to see that hideous thing again, but two things blocked Link from doing so: Midna and a barrier that somehow formed where the door once was.

He let out a heavy sigh and turned around to face it. They saw bombs hidden in logs that could sustain the burning water. Quickly, Link took out the boomerang and launched it at the bomb, carrying one to the mouth of one of the two halves, causing it to explode. He did the same with the other half, and they both sank into the water. They thought it was over, and thought of it as way too easy. But it wasn't over yet. Out came an even bigger plant monster-like thing, this time whole.

Link thought he could do the same thing, but in the process of coming out of the water, Diababa sank the bombs, so there was no way to beat it. A sort of purple liquid similar to that of the water spewed out of it's mouth, and Link made a run for it. He didn't expect that he would have to turn around to keep running, however, and was burned by the liquid. He fell to one knee, gasping for air, as that _was_ poisonous.

He quickly recovered and stood back up. He didn't know what to do. There was just no way. But then, as they were both ready to give up and let Diababa kill them, even Midna not protesting, though freaking out, the monkey from earlier came out of nowhere and gave him a bomb. He looked at the monkey in awe as his enemy was actually helping him, and launched the bomb at the center plant piece, and down it came, shaking the ground. For some reason there was an eye inside it's mouth. All he could do was stare at it, obviously grossed out by it, until Midna snapped him out of it. So he started to slash at it, killing Diababa in the process. It started to splash around in the water in pain as it was clearing up, and it blew up completely. The twilight pieces that were clung to the air from the explosion fused themselves together to form a weird looking artifact that Link assumed was the dark power, for he felt transfixed by it. Midna came out of his shadow.

"Well done, Link! You actually did it! I honestly didn't think you would survive the battle, seeing how you were so helpless at first. Such a lazy wolf... But that there is what I was looking for. It's called a Fused Shadow. It's what the spirit called dark power. There are four of these, of which I am wearing one, as you can clearly see when in the twilight. If you want to know what Fused Shadows really are, maybe I will tell you if you find the other two that are still out there. But for now, let's get out of here. I can still smell rotting plant in here." Midna hovered over a spot and was about to shoot it with a bit of her dark magic, producing a small portal which they could use to escape, but Link stopped her. Not with words, but with action. He still could barely hold himself up, now that it was over. He used the now purified water to clean the blood off his neck, and laid down on the ground, truly falling asleep this time. Midna would've protested, but he was out before she could get a word.

Instead, she sat and waited, knowing that he would be useless to her if he ran off without a break and died of exhaustion.


	8. King Bulblin

He didn't sleep for nearly as long as last time, for only a few hours passed before he came to. That's when she took the opportunity to create the portal she couldn't earlier.

"This will teleport you back to Faron Spring, so be thankful that I have that power!" She exclaimed when she was sure that he was fully awake.

"There's no way out of this. Maybe I am destined to die in this gray world of twilight. Maybe this is my last crusade in Hyrule, now that I am trapped in this place." Zelda said to herself back in Hyrule Castle. "I will sing until the day I die. That will be my promise if I will die in this place under the rule of Zant." She began to sing to herself.

"_The Hero_

_of Ancient Legend_

_will come to save us from danger._

_He will pull_

_the Master Sword and_

_travel seven years in time..._

_I've waited seven years,_

_trapped in a sheik disguise,_

_there to teach Link the skills he needed..."_

Zelda stood there, singing, and paused for a moment. "Yes, this will be my theme. There is more, but that's for another time, I guess. Being the goddess reborn is really a pain!" Zant burst in through the door as she finished talking to herself.

"What is that horrid noise?! It sounds like someone is dying in here!"

"Zant, it's only singing. Haven't you ever heard of it? Hadn't Midna sang to herself before? You need to learn quite a bit."

"Speaking of dying, though, Tomorrow's the day you die, Hylia, so say your prayers and hope you get lucky or something. Not likely though. Ha! I will finally rule the universe, and assume my proper role as King of Shadow!" He left the room laughing again. Zelda stood there and continued singing, hoping Link would hear. Her song had special effects if used right.

"Link...hero chosen by the goddesses…leave these woods and go west, where you will find the lands guarded by the spirit Eldin… There you will find those you seek. Midna…you must prepare yourself for the dangers that lie ahead…protect Link as much as you can…but also protect yourself… In Hyrule, danger spreads as quickly…as the evil of twilight…" Faron said to Link and Midna as they were warped back to the spring. Link looked up to the sky.

"What is it, Link? Is something wrong? Or are you daydreaming again?" He signaled her to listen. "...Singing? Is that it?" She paused to listen more. "Zelda! That's Zelda singing the song!" She looked over to see that Link nearly fainted. "Um…are you alright? You don't look so good. Is it that stupid plant, stupid wolf?"

"Midna, hush…he is remembering from a past lifetime." The spirit told her.

"What? Which one?"

"The Era of the Hero of Time. Princess Zelda is singing of her past life in that time, and it is triggering something in him… You must remain silent while this happens, so he can fully interpret it… Something can happen in the future if he can fully comprehend these messages…"

"That...doesn't make any sense."

"You'll find out what he sees eventually."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"You'll find out eventually what he sees…"

They remained quiet for what seemed like hours when the song finally ended and Link returned to his current lifetime. He looked a little pale from what he had remembered.

"Heroic Link… You must hurry to Eldin… He is waiting for you…" The spirit disappeared. Midna looked back at him when she was sure the spirit was gone.

"So...what did you see, wolf?"

He said nothing. He didn't even seem to notice she had said anything.

"Aren't you going to say anything? I haven't heard you talk since we met."

Still he said nothing. She soon became irritable all over again and gave him a harsh slap in the face.

"Say something already!"

He looked away from her, down to the ground, and closed his eyes. She could've sworn she saw a tear escape his lashes and fall to the ground, but she wasn't sure.

"...You can't talk, can you? Or do you just want to ignore me? I order you to talk right now! What did you see?!"

He sighed and started heading toward a new destination, where they had to go, according to the Light Spirit.

"Don't ignore me!" She wasn't in his shadow at that time, so he was ahead of her. No matter how much he tried to hide it, she could hear light but ragged breaths, an obvious sign that he was trying to conceal soft crying, but was failing miserably.

"If you're going to hide crying, you better start practicing!" Before she finished, he had disappeared. "Get back here!" She screamed to what would seem like nobody as she dashed in the direction he had gone.

Soon enough, she was in a place known as Hyrule Field, a vast landscape filled with wildlife and danger. Midna could feel the power of twilight getting stronger the more she traveled westward. She could almost smell the evil that has threatened to cover all of Hyrule.

No matter where she looked, she couldn't find Link. In those few minutes, he had traveled far. She listened intently for any sign of his heartbeat, a trait she had acquired with her long, Hylian-like ears.

At first she could hear nothing but the sounds of wildlife. She listened closer, and after a few minutes, she picked up the faint, distant sound. He was in the wooded section of the field, she assumed from the distance.

Faster than ever, she made a mad dash toward where she picked up the sound from. She darted in and out through the trees once she drew near. Since she was a shadow, she didn't have to worry about crashing. She eventually caught up to him, as he wasn't moving nearly as fast as usual. Other than depression, she knew there was something else wrong with him.

"How dare you run away from me like that?!" She raised her voice, but didn't yell at him this time, as she noticed he wasn't looking the best. Just the expression he wore on his face made her ease up a little. But she still didn't want him to rest, as he still had a job to do for her.

"You're wasting time, you know. Time to go."

they quickly made their way to Eldin Province, where the evil lies. Who knows what they will find once they're in? They had never been there before, or so Midna thought, but they had to save the spirit first, then explore. But sooner than they expected, they were at the entrance to the twilight covered West Hyrule. The Curtain of Twilight was more detailed in the orange glowing patterning then they last remembered. Midna could translate it to: _Princess of the Twilight Realm… Hero of Time… In this land you will find many dangers… Turn back now, or forever be lost in the depths of the evil twilight…_ She wouldn't tell Link what it said, because that would probably make him turn back right away. It would also blow her cover, as she didn't intend to reveal her identity yet. Instead, she said her usual Curtain of Twilight thing.

"Link, look. The Hyrule you were yet to discover…it's now covered in twilight. You may not come back here for some time, but do you still want to go?" Link nodded, still in a bit of a daze. "Suit yourself. One more thing. You will revert back to wolf form for some time the moment you enter, at least as long as it takes for you to save this little part of Hyrule. Well, I'm going to let you in now. I will be right back." Midna faded through the wall of twilight and, with her giant hand, once again pulled him through the wall, him screaming the whole way. She knows just what to do to give him a heart attack.

Once inside, like Midna said, he reverted to his old wolf form. Midna landed on top of his back. "That's a good little doggy! now you will have to do exactly what I say from now on instead of acting like I am only a shadow! Now, you will need to find Eldin, wherever he is. Just look for a giant floating ball of dust, OK? Good, now let's get a move on. We don't have much time."

There were a few Twilit monsters along the way, similar to the one he first encountered, but these were easier to defeat, so he didn't have much trouble.

In no time, Link and Midna found Kakariko Village, an old place infested with twilight. Eldin was just up ahead, and they rushed to him. Just like the last spirit, it looked like a ball of dust. He slowly walked over to the dying spirit in the spring. They couldn't tell, but it was looking right at them the whole time.

"Hurry…there is no time to talk…find my tears of light…and put them in this…" Once again, Link got a vessel of light, which could store the lost light once again. "Be careful…the darkness…now hunts you…"

Many of the Tears of Light were in Kakariko Village itself, but a few of them were in Death Mountain, a place of danger, for the Gorons, a rather primitive species, dwell there, but just like the other light dwellers, they are spirits without the light. Soon, Eldin Province will be ridden of twilight, just like Faron Province, and the Gorons they will have to fight if they are to get the second Fused Shadow for Midna. Eventually, they got all of them in the village, so it's off to Death Mountain with them. Along the way, they found many spirits that revealed themselves to be Gorons. They were the guards that kept the humans from trespassing on their land. Their mines are a spiritual place of worship, and they didn't want anyone to go in and destroy it. They had even locked someone in there for safety from the evil that had taken over it's mind and transformed it.

"Go get the last one and stop the wandering around. It's right there!" Midna screamed at Link. "You seem like you're getting dumber by the second. Get a move on and stop it with the stupidness!" Link started to snarl at Midna, and she simply smacked him in the face. He was sent reeling back and running in circles. Who knew she could hit so hard? "Stop it right now! See that giant glowing thingy? Grab that!"

In truth, Link wasn't getting dumber. He was thinking about the song he heard Zelda singing from the castle. Some of his past was coming back to him, and it made him uneasy. He collected the last tear and restored the light to Eldin Province. Midna again seeped back into Link's shadow, thinking he was really stupid. When did she have the right to criticize him for protecting himself, when she was the one who was putting him in so much danger?

They were back at the spirit's spring, and it started to glow as the spirit was coming out. This one looked like a giant bird, instead of the monkey they saw as Faron.

"I am Eldin, protector of this land and it's people. The dark power you seek…it lies in the mines protected by the proud Gorons…but they have changed. The land has been seeded with evil…and the Gorons have forbidden human outsiders from ever entering the lands…and those who enter are captured and beaten mercilessly… You must go and convince them…that you are on their side…as well as the rest of the humans…" Eldin told them.

The spirit disappeared into the air, and there, standing by the nearest house, was the shaman of the village, as well as the bomb salesman, the shaman's daughter, and the village kids! Colin, Talo, Malo, Beth, and Ilia were all there, and they all ran to see Link, since they haven't seen him in over a year. Midna felt as though she should introduce herself, but she couldn't for secret reasons regarding her origin and what would happen. So she stayed in Link's shadow and rolled her eyes as she saw up close who these kids were. She thought they were pretty ugly and wondered how Link could ever love them.

Link looked toward the Goron Mines as the kids were crowding him in wonder of how he would get through it, seeing that it was heavily guarded by giant Gorons, and it's filled with lava that would kill him in an instant if he fell in it. So he would have to be extremely careful not to fall in, and he would also have to get a metal shield if he were to survive the attacks in there. So he went to the store that was conveniently close and bought a Hylian Shield, which will never burn because it's metal, when the kids were done telling their story. They also wondered where he got his tunic from, but he wouldn't tell them. They had developed a language they could understand with the rest of the village so he could communicate with them. He felt as though he was ready to go in there, but first he would have to get back up the mountain trail, and who knows how mean the Goron at the entrance is. Maybe he could stop it if it charged at him the same way he did back in Ordon Village when goats escaped. He started heading towards the trail to climb up. But he was stopped by the shaman, who introduced himself as Renado.

"Link...you look hurt. If you are to go up there, at least let me treat those wounds of yours."

He was reminded of the Deku Baba that bit him in the neck and the spider that got his sword arm when he mentioned it. That was when the pain hit once again. He did his best to conceal it, as Midna taught him. So he shook his head in assurance that he was fine and continued up the trail.

When he got there, the Goron was standing there, as he was in the twilight. But this time, he was a human and the Goron could hurt him, so he thought he could sneak past him so he wouldn't have to deal with it. But it spotted him anyway.

"Hey! No humans allowed! This land ahead belongs to the Goron Tribe, the elder said no humans are to be let in!" The Goron yelled ahead at Link and rolled up to charge at him. Link got into proper stance so he could stop the incoming Goron, but as he grabbed it, the pain intensified, his feet started slipping, and he fell down the cliffside to the ground below.

"Give it up! You can never match the strength of the Gorons! You hear me? Then away with you!" The Goron walked away, back into his original spot. He did nothing but lay there on the ground for some time, and Midna then came back out of his shadow.

"What are you doing? You have to use strategy to beat it! You can't herd a Goron, dummy! Look, just try to ask for help from the others back in the village. Maybe that shaman can help you. He did seem to know quite a bit about them, so you should ask him first. At least, that's what I suggest." Midna said to him. She slipped back into his shadow to let him decide. She was a little nicer than usual at that point, and it made him wonder. After catching his breath, he went back to the village to find the shaman, but he was already at the entrance to the Death Mountain trail. He told Link that challenging the Gorons would be life threatening, but he knew someone by the name of Bo, in other words, the mayor of Ordon Village. He said Link should go back there to tell him of what is going on, and to tell him that the kids are alright. He also asked if he was sure he would go without letting him tend to his injuries, and he nodded once again.

"Told you he knew what to do." Midna said from his shadow. "Now, what's this about this secret that the mayor had to defeating the Gorons? Maybe you should find out! After all, you do want to survive to the finish, right?"

_Midna, why were you so mean before, then all of a sudden you're so nice?_

"I'm glad you asked that, whoever keeps talking to me. That is something you'll find out later. Just go do what you have to do." Midna said back to him. _Maybe I'm being too nice right now… I should probably start back up with the strict attitude again, but what's with him that's so familiar in a way? I feel as though he's special in a way. Not as Mr. Important Hero, but as someone truly special to me._

Link was going to go back to the village the same way he came to Kakariko, by walking. He knew that would probably at least take a few days or so. But then his horse, Epona, came out of nowhere, and atop her back were two Moblins looking to seize it, but they lost control and fell off. She started charging at Link full speed, since she was still hyped up about being ridden by someone other than him. Link was excited to see his mound at first, but when she didn't stop running, dodged out of the way and tried to climb up on top of her, but she thought it was another monster and started running around like crazy. Eventually, he fell off of her, as she was too fast and out of control. Midna slipped out when nobody was looking.

"Link, you just had her! What is wrong with you? Didn't you know that you have to follow her movements as she runs like that? Next time, get up on her and lean toward where she is going, then seize her when she stops. Got that?"

Link nodded, and ran up to Epona to jump back on, and she reared up and started running again, but this time, he was expecting it and held on as tight as he could, and he followed her movements as Midna told him to do. He was able to hang on with her and when she stopped to rear up again, he seized her, taking full control once again.

"Hmm. I guess you're not too bad of a wrangler after all. Well, at least we can get this sidequest over with faster with Epona. Let's get the mayor to help us." Midna said to Link.

It took a while, at least a day, but they made it to the village, all the way back across three fields and through the woods and across the trail leading to the village. They found the mayor in no time, standing by his house. He looked surprised to see that Link had made it back safely after disappearing along with the other kids.

"_Link_?! Is that you?! It _is_ you! What happened to you? When we needed you most, a beast had come in and taken the sword and shield that you were to take to the royal family of Hyrule, and they also had taken the children! You were taken with them, weren't you?" Link shook his head in reply. "No? Then you were looking for the kids, right?" He nodded. "Come this way." Bo led him inside his house to talk. Things were just as he remembered in the village, except for the fact that the people were too scared to come back outside again, in fear that they would be taken.

"I see, so the kids are safe in Kakariko Village with Renado? That's good. Renado's an old friend of mine. Why did you come back anyway?" Link told him that he needed his help with the Gorons of Death Mountain. At least, in the language that they understood, without talking. "What? The Gorons of Death Mountain? Renado told you to come to me, didn't he? Well, I did beat them in a contest of power, and I can teach you my secret. You know sumo wrestling, right? Well, if you do, you know how to beat them, but the secret to counterattacking a charging Goron is the same thing you do when you herd goats. But your body is far too light to take on a Goron, and that is why you had lost to it last time. The secret to my success was the thing that I have in my chest over there. Take it with you, and use it to beat the Gorons in the battle. You have to get to the mines, I'm guessing, to remove the dark power inside of it? You will need my little secret in there."

Link opened the treasure chest and found iron boots. They were so heavy that even a Goron wouldn't be able to move him! How was he able to hold them up dramatically if they were that heavy? Now to figure out how to walk in them...

"Yes, those boots are made of iron, so you will become heavier than a Goron. Use them well, and also they are magnetic, so you can stick to magnetic surfaces in the Goron Mines. I've been there, and I had used those boots to stick to their walls, so I think you'll be able to do that as well."

Link left and started heading back to Kakariko to finally go to the mines and get it over with. When he did make it, however, he found that the kids were all gathered up in a corner and, standing there in the distance, was King Bulblin, the same monster that had taken the kids from Ordon Spring when they were younger and more defenseless. Link started to charge at him on Epona, ready to kill him for what he'd done to him and the kids, much to Midna's surprise, but he held up one of the kids, Colin! He rode off on his boar, and Link chased after him at full speed toward North Hyrule Field.

When he got there, he found Bulblin there, and he pulled out his sword in attack, and the beast called all the other Moblins in, but they were also on boars. Link charged and, with his sword held high in his left hand, he attempted to slash at him, but failed and hit one of the Moblins instead. That's when he knew that he had to kill the others off before he could get to Bulblin, so he started to charge at the others and killed them off. When he finished them off, however, Bulblin summoned more of them. So that's when he gave up and started going directly after him, and he succeeded in hitting him a few times. The armor that he wore was pretty useless against the blade. They ran to the Bridge of Eldin, where it was then blocked off on both sides by fire. They charged each other as if in a joust. Link and Bulblin both tried to hit each other, but they missed. The next time, Link was hit with Bulblin's oversized spear-like thing. His side started to bleed.

_Am I going to die in the hands of this idiot? If I don't win…_

"Link, you stupid wolf! Don't give up now! We still have more to live for! You can catch him off guard if you try!" He heard Midna calling to him. He fell off Epona. As he lay there on the bridge, he looked up and found Bulblin standing there, towering over him, ready to kill. As he closed his eyes, ready to die, the words of Zelda's Lullaby came back to him. But not just the part he heard, but he remembered from his out of body experience more of the song, unspoken.

_The Hero_

_of Ancient Legend_

_will come to save us from danger._

_He will pull_

_the Master Sword and_

_travel seven years in time…_

_I've waited seven years,_

_trapped in a sheik disguise,_

_there to teach Link the skills he needed…_

_The Hero,_

_bearing the Triforce,_

_will come to save us from danger._

_With power,_

_Wisdom, and Courage,_

_he will slay evil…_

_With the power of Time,_

_he will defeat Ganon,_

_and restore Hyrule to it's peace…_

Midna came back out of his shadow, a saddish look on her face. She looked at him and knew he was weak. She saw his tunic, already soaked in blood, and she eyed the other marks. From her point of view, it both looked and sounded like breathing was slowly becoming more of a challenge for him. Then, with an evil look, she charged at King Bulblin and, with a giant fist she formed, punched him off the bridge and saved the kid. "Time to get out of here, before more trouble comes." She said to herself as she somehow carried both Colin and Link back to the village.

The shaman was the only one outside at the moment, and she began to worry about how to let him know they needed help. She was, in truth, worried for the hero, so she did the best thing she could. She apologized to Link's unconscious form and threw him on the ground as hard as she could, so as to make a loud enough thud that Renado would hear. Then she quickly hid in his shadow.

It seemed to work, as he heard the noise and looked over to where he thought the sound came from. At first, he didn't see anything, but after walking closer, spotted Link laying there with Colin in his arms, as Midna had done on purpose to give him a sense that he had carried him and passed out in the process. He immediately called Luda over, who appeared out of nowhere, and ordered her to carry Colin inside, but she insisted that being outside would be better for him. He agreed reluctantly and hurriedly, as the more needed of the two was still bleeding out. He picked Link up and carried him in the inn, where he laid him down on a clean bed and got to work.

He unstrapped his sword and shield and all of his other things before finally taking off his tunic to get a better look. The village kids didn't know what was going on in there, as they had all rushed out to Colin. He started bandaging his side so as to stop the bleeding as best as he could. He had known that the hero wouldn't be able to continue with those bites on his neck and arm, though he hadn't seen the latter until now.

Renado saw him slowly open his eyes in the middle of his work. It was clear that he was hurting, no matter how much he tried to hide it.

"Link, my boy, how do you feel?" He decided to ask anyway, even though he thought he knew the answer. But all he did was stare at him blankly for a moment. He could feel where the shaman was cleaning his wounds, but only felt a dull throb, as he was so out of it that he could hardly feel anything. Before he could answer, lead weights tugged at his eyelids, and he found keeping them open nearly impossible. He closed his eyes and in a snap, he was out cold.

For a moment, Renado didn't know what was wrong, but quickly answered that. He was probably extremely tired from everything he's gone through, and needed the rest he was getting. It seemed as though at this point nothing could wake him, he slept so soundly. But at the same time, he looked sad, like something was troubling him, but right at the moment there was no way to find out what.

But Midna knew. It was a dream he was having, she was sure of it. And she was right.

_He found himself in another world entirely. At first glance, there was nothing to see but blackness as far as the eye could see. But something about it was unsettling. Before he had much time to think about it, a voice echoed through the emptiness._

"_I'm coming for you…"_

_Obviously someone hated him. He didn't know who or why, because he had never done any wrong. The voice sounded a lot like him if he could talk, but more...evil. Immediately, the world around him took shape. Trees and small houses formed. These houses were in the trees. This was a place he knew as home. Not Ordon Village, but his original home, in another village far from that one. There he saw something he never wanted to see: how his parents died._

_He tried to wake himself from the nightmare, but found he was trapped, and the only thing he could do was watch._


	9. A Child's Fate

Renado was busy for the remainder of the night just keeping Link alive. He felt cold to the touch, meaning he had lost too much blood. One of the kids, Ilia, peeked into the room, since she was looking for Renado. Needless to say she was shocked when she caught sight of Link.

"Do not worry about him, for he will be fine." He noted without glancing at the young girl.

"Yeah, but…"

"Why don't you get some sleep? Something tells me you were up all night."

All she could do was sigh and head out to one of the other rooms she called her own.

By early morning he had finished his work. Seeing as how the hero would be fine, he washed his clothes and slipped them back on, placed his weapons by the door, and went back outside to see Colin. He was always quick with his work compared to others.

Midna saw the same expression on Link's face as Renado did, and decided to take a closer look. She had the ability to see other peoples' dreams, and this time was no exception. She placed one hand over his heart and the other over her own, and entered his dreamscape. The first thing she saw was fire. It burned the surrounding trees and with them, the houses. She saw Link standing in the midst of it all, completely horrified. But it wasn't the same Link. He was only a child, probably about four years old, wearing nothing but his old village clothes. He was darkened with soot from the flames, but his bright blue eyes shone through. It seemed to Midna as though he were looking at someone. Upon taking a closer look, she somehow recognized two people as his parents. The father was fighting off a horde of beasts while the mother was fleeing with a small baby in her arms.

While his father was fighting, one of the beasts had snuck behind him and literally backstabbed him, using a large rusty cleaver. He gasped before collapsing, the one monster following the others in pursuit of the mother. She glanced over at Child Link, who seemed to have aged a little. He clutched his chest, as if he had been stabbed there. Looking back at the monsters, Midna saw that they were catching up to his mother quickly, and at first she thought that she escaped, seeing as how the baby in her arms was Link. But of course she was wrong.

One of them jumped out of a tree left unburnt and landed right on top of her, knocking her to the ground. The same beast that killed the father did the same thing to the mother. She looked once at her child before dropping her head. For reasons Midna didn't know, the monsters spared Link's life, but took him away.

The second his mother died, she looked back at Link once more, who was now older. He fell to the ground completely, not even trying to conceal the tears that came. The sound of him crying was soon drowned out by the next scene. The child was being taken back to the monsters' hideout, where he was raised by cruelty until he was four. From there, he was forced into hard labor, far more than he was capable. Whenever he fell from exhaustion, one of them would whip him and force him to keep going.

This continued on for what felt like forever, until someone had burst into the hideout and began fighting off the beasts. This was someone Link knew as Rusl, and he fought off every last one of them and took Child Link away. From then, it seemed like Rusl treated and raised him like his father would have, but he didn't look happy. He spent his days herding goats in Ordon Ranch, and during those times he seemed fine, but when he wasn't doing that or swordfighting with Rusl, he was rather depressed. This continued on for years, until he was seventeen, and Rusl didn't know what was wrong with him. He was never lively or talkative. He mostly kept to himself, seemingly closed off from the world.

Then the fateful day came when the king of the beasts, Bulblin, stormed into the village he called home and kidnapped the children. Link took off after him, but soon found himself in front of a strange wall that closed him off from Faron Woods, that of the Curtain of Twilight. Before he had a second to wonder what it was, a giant hand grabbed him and pulled him through, the same monster that had tried to strangle him before.

Midna looked at Link once again, the one who was watching the whole thing, and he was in the same position on all fours as last time she looked, but he was seventeen now, the same age she knew him as. The entire dream world shook with each tear that fell, and when the real world Link was startled awake, Midna immediately withdrew her hand and looked at him. His expression was still blank, as if nothing had happened. Of course, she knew how he truly felt, and without a word left the room through the window so he could be alone.

Renado had entered the room right after and found that he was awake.

"Ah, Link, you've come to. You never answered my question from last night. How do you feel?"

He just nodded to signify that he was fine.

"I heard screaming, so I thought I would check in on you to make sure you were alright."

That was when the events of the dream came back to him. Without realizing, a solitary tear escaped and fell onto the blanket that covered him. Renado noticed this and was quick to wipe the second one that came off his face.

"Is something wrong?"

Those few tears quickly escalated into full blown sobbing. He could no longer control it, as he had just seen his entire past, and it wasn't the best one. His entire body racked with each ragged breath, and the shaman placed a calm hand on his quivering shoulder.

"Tell me what happened."

Using that language they knew, he went on to explain everything that took place in his dreamscape, Renado listening intently the whole time. He told him how his parents died, how he was forced to work for the beasts and how he was saved, and how the kids were taken only a year ago.

"...I'm sorry. I know words don't help with this kind of situation, but I know how you feel. My parents died when I was about your age."

He looked up as if to say "Really?"

"I never knew what happened, but I've long since moved on from that, and I took up a job as a shaman, so I can save the lives of others."

He barely finished his sentence before Link was fast asleep. He whisked away the stray tears that were left before walking outside to see how Colin was doing.

Ilia, Beth, Renado, Talo, Malo, Luda, and Barnes were all huddled around Colin as he finally woke up. He was still dazed from the attack, and hardly knew what was going on.

"Is everyone…OK?" He asked Renado. He looked and found everyone around him. "Good. Renado, I finally understand. When I told Link that I wanted to be like him when I grew up, I was talking about being strong like him. Only now do I understand that my father wasn't talking about strength like lifting stuff, he was talking about bravery, when he told me that I needed to be stronger. Maybe I will learn to use the sword someday. But I still want to learn how to ride a horse. Can you promise me that, at least?" Renado nodded. Colin shut his eyes. "Good. Wait, where's Link?"

"He was hurt in the process of saving you. How he was able to carry you back here is a mystery to me. But right now, he is in bed. He should be fine in a few days." He looked up at Death Mountain. "As the Hero of Time, he must move on from the past and live in the present. If he lingered into his past lives, he would get caught doing something he shouldn't. He would do something like trying to communicate with his past lives, and he could easily be influenced to evil at that point."

"What are you talking about?" Ilia asked.

"Sorry, I was lost in thought there. But he really must move on soon. As soon as he wakes up, he must head toward Death Mountain. No exceptions, because the Gorons are getting worse by the moment."

"Something happened to him because of me?"

"I wouldn't say it was you as much as it was the beast who raided the village."

When he finished his sentence, he spotted someone slightly limping toward them. He knew when he turned around that it was Link walking toward them. Midna had returned to his shadow only a short time ago.

"What are you doing out of bed? You're still hurt."

It was then that Midna showed herself, seeing as she had no other choice. She used a bit of her ancestors' dark magic to reveal herself in her Twilit form.

"Are you…the legendary Twilight-?"

"Yes, Renado. Don't say it, because I need to keep my identity concealed in the shadows of the Twilight Realm's legend for now." The village kids, including Luda and Barnes, huddled around Midna. "He is still hurt, to be sure, but he needs to stop being such a baby and move on. We have a Fused Shadow to find in there. I fear that someone is possessed by it, sensing the evil presence in the mountain." She started to flash with a semi-sacred light. "I'm afraid that I can't stay like this much longer, but let me ask you this." She leaned in closer so Link wouldn't hear, but she didn't know that his pointed ears weren't elf ears, but they enhanced hearing ability, and legend says that they could also hear the voices of the goddesses with them. "Whatever happens to Link, can you take care of him when I fail to?"

"Midna, I can't do that. He is Hylia's responsibility, as you know from the legends, I'm sure…that is also how I know your name. It was said that you would come and be named Midna in honor of your past life."

"Right. Well, farewell, Renado. We'll meet again, I'm sure. As for you, Link. I think you need to move on. We have a Fused Shadow to get, and you can't just waltz your way to it."

As he headed to the Death Mountain trail, Midna searched through Link's luggage to see if he has something she was looking for. She had taken off her necklace a while back, and she had put it in his bag, and now she wanted to make sure that it was brought with them. She finally found it after ten minutes. What she wondered was how Link could carry a slingshot, a lantern, two empty bottles, a fairy boomerang, a sword, two shields, three hundred rupees, a fishing rod, and iron boots so easily. It's as if it was all weightless.

They found the same Goron at the entrance of the trail, who greeted them again the same way as before.

"You again? Maybe you didn't hear me before when I said _no humans allowed!_ Now you can feel twice the burn of Goron might as you suffer a painful and excruciating death!" It did the same thing as before, and this time, they were prepared.

"OK, Link. It's time to see how those heavy iron boots really work!"

He put them on with ease, somehow, and when he grabbed the Goron, he didn't slip, and he was able to throw it off the cliffside. He moved onward, and found many more Gorons heading his way. As long as he kept the boots at hand, there was no way these rock eating monsters could stand in his way!

Soon enough, they made it all the way to the summit of Death Mountain, where they met a group of Gorons huddled around, ready for attack. But as they were about to kill Link, the elder stopped them from doing so. Link was glad, because his side was still hurting from earlier.

"Is this puny human such an imposing threat that we must all gang up on him yet? I think not, little brothers. What are you doing here? These mines up ahead belong to the Goron Tribe. No humans may pass, unless you can beat me in a contest of power. Are you willing to accept that? You are? Good, this way." Link was led to a sumo wrestling ring, where they were to test each other's abilities. At the last minute, Link remembered the iron boots and somehow put them on in half a second. He used all of his strength and ignored the pain to push back the elder and knock him out of the ring. Even though that was unsuccessful, as the elder jumped back before he fell out and shoved him to the edge. With his strength, the Goron elder shoved him out of the ring flat on his back and knocked the wind out of him. He was completely disoriented, so didn't know what was happening.

"Well, it looks like you couldn't beat me. To the dungeon with you!"

Before he had a second to react, one of the other Gorons threw a large rock at his head, instantly rendering him unconscious.

They took notice of a slight unnatural twitching in his shadow, and they picked him up and shook him so violently that Midna couldn't hang on any longer. She fell out of his shadow and was grabbed immediately.

"Don't you worry. We have a special dungeon for shadow creatures! Your friend, however..." He glanced over at Link, as did Midna. "...Your friend will suffer at the hands of the cursed patriarch."

"But don't you want someone to remove the evil power?" She asked the elder, desperate to escape.

"We don't trust you, especially since you're a shadow creature."

The Gorons headed down the trail to each of the three elders that were scattered around the mines and asked for the key shards that they held to the dungeon of the patriarch.

Link woke up only once during their trek to Darbus, and once his mind registered what was happening, he started thrashing around beneath the Gorons' grip. They let him go on like that for a little bit, thinking he would tire himself out, but when he showed no sign of doing so, they hit him upside the head to knock him out again. The world around him began to spin, until he closed his eyes and his head dropped. The last thing he heard was Midna screaming his name from somewhere unknown.

When they arrived at the place where Darbus lies, they quickly unlocked the huge door, opened it, and threw Link in there. Then they closed the door, but didn't lock it, as it was, they assumed, too big for him to open. They also didn't bother to take his things, as Darbus was most likely too strong for him anyway if he couldn't beat the elder in a sumo wrestling match.

Darbus, who now called himself Fyrus, took notice of the little human laying on the floor and broke free of the chains that held him in place with ease. He let out the biggest roar he could, as he saw the tunic he wore and recognized it. When he saw that he wasn't waking up, he sat and waited. He wanted to kill him when he was awake.

Meanwhile, Midna was struggling to break free of the Goron's grasp as she was led to a prison cell somewhere else in the mines. They threw her in with haste, locked the door, and left.

"Link! Where are you?!" She called out desperately, trying to find him while looking through the bars. One of the Goron guards walked up to her.

"You're not going to see your friend anytime soon, little lady. We locked him up tight with Darbus, and when your friend wakes up, he will waste no time in killing him."

Link woke up only a short time later to be met with an intense heat. He tried to stand and found he was weak. He didn't know why he felt this way, just that he _was_. He looked up and found a huge beast right in his face, patiently waiting for him to get up to begin the torture.

When he found his strength from being met with a monster and got up, the battle supposedly started. The huge patriarch's body ignited, intensifying the heat in the room further. He almost couldn't stand it, and wondered how the Gorons could walk through here like it was nothing.

Despite finding the strength to stand, he was still too weak to run, as he found out he had to do when Fyrus swung the huge chains at him. It knocked him across the room, and he collided harshly with the stone wall. He slowly recovered and stood back up. Then he remembered something he had heard before, about their leader being possessed by a Fused Shadow. Then he knew what he had to do. He still had his piece of the Fused Shadow in his hands, so he took it out and presented it to Fyrus.

At first, Fyrus did nothing but look at it, but soon a lust for more power took over, and he ran over and grabbed it from the human's hands. Midna would've screamed every possible swear at him for giving him the Fused Shadow, but he knew what he was doing.

The beast grew bigger and bigger with the added power of the dark shadow, and that could actually be used to Link's advantage. The chains around Fyrus's hands and feet snapped right off, so now he couldn't use them as weapons. He also knew that he would be too big to hit him, as weak as he felt. Now he had no need to run. He had found a bow and arrows a while ago, back on his way to Kakariko Village after defeating Diababa, so he used that to hit a gem that was on his forehead. It worked for him, as he was momentarily stunned and the flames went out. He fell to the ground, giving Link the perfect opportunity to strike. He walked over and, with his sword, slashed mercilessly at the beast's head, defeating it in almost an instant.

He screeched and roared as the power of the two Fused Shadows left him, and he returned to his original state. The Fused Shadows reformed themselves in front of him, and when he grabbed them, felt the weakness once again, as the adrenaline left him now that the battle was over, and he collapsed onto the hot ground.

Darbus had come to only a short time after, and found the human lying there on the ground. He didn't know what to do, since he figured out he was locked in an inescapable room. So he just waited for him to wake up.

The whole day had passed since Darbus found him, and, growing bored of waiting, fell asleep. Link began to stir only moments after. At first, he had no memory of what happened, so he was surprised to see Darbus there, sleeping by him. Slower than last time, he quietly stood up and headed for the door. Although he had not nearly the strength to open that door, it seemed to open itself when he tried. He was glad that it wasn't locked and walked out, leaving the door open in case Darbus woke up.

He tried to remember what had happened, but had no memory or recollection whatsoever. He didn't even remember Midna. So he started to make his way through the mines to escape. He still could hardly stand the heat, but he pushed through it as best and quickly as he could. He thought he heard a feminine voice calling to someone, but he wasn't sure. At the time, he couldn't remember his own name, so he didn't know of anyone named Link. He saw Midna along the way, and he headed toward her to free her from the prison cell, though he still didn't know her.

"There you are, Link! I knew you'd come save me!"

He looked around to find this Link, but saw nobody, so he continued picking the lock.

"Are you alright, Link?"

Once again he looked around, then back at Midna. When she looked into his eyes, she saw that he had not the slightest glimmer of recognition.

"Do you remember me?"

He shook his head and unlocked the door and opened it.

"Stop playing games with me, Link! I know you know me!"

For the third time, he looked around to find Link. A tear finally escaped her eyes when she saw him looking for himself. "You...you don't remember…"

He shook his head again.

"Then, will this help?"

She created a portal to get them out of there, but he passed out again before she was done. At first, she thought he remembered her and had a memory overload, but when she felt his forehead, she knew what was wrong. He was having a heat stroke. She spurred into action when she realized, and left to find water immediately. She doubted she would find any, but it couldn't hurt to try, right?

Quite a bit of time passed since she began looking for any water, and she was starting to give up. He was probably dead by now, anyway. She shrugged off the thought. She wouldn't allow herself to think like that. This was _Link_. He survived all this time, and he could now.

But that nagging doubt pricked at her mind, and she couldn't help but wonder. He probably _was_ dead, and if so, how would she be able to take down Zant herself? She was nothing more than a shadow in this world, and Zant was the one who had cursed her in the first place.

To her surprise and relief, she found a room filled with cold water. And more to her surprise, there was a conveniently placed bucket there as well, so she used that. She picked it up, filled it with water, and made her way back to Link, faster than she thought with such a heavy bucket. At least, to her it was heavy because she was so small. She quickly dumped most of the water on his face to see if he would wake up. He gasped as he woke up. She had come to notice that he was still sweating profusely despite the cold water.

He looked at her, still no memory of her or anything coming to him. She looked back at him and created the portal again, and explained to him what it was.

"This is a portal, a device that I can create which can instantly teleport you out of here. It will take you back to the village below. And those things that you're holding…" She pointed to the artifacts he still held. "...Those are Fused Shadows. They are known to the Light Spirits of this world as dark power, but you need all four in order to match the power of Zant, the King of Shadows, to save your kingdom of Hyrule as the Hero of Time."

Link stood up even slower and walked over to the portal, where Midna warped him out of there and back to the spirit's spring.

"Link…hero chosen by the goddesses… North of here, in the lands guarded by the spirit Lanayru…you will find one who you seek…but be warned, for you may be the blue-eyed beast you were before…" Eldin told him as he returned to the spring. "Midna… The power you seek, and the revenge you want…it's close at hand. But it may not be as you expect it to be… And Link… One of the ones you seek had been taken…to the lands guarded by the spirit Lanayru… You must rescue her…for it was a beast who took her…"

"So, one of them was taken there? Those kids always get into trouble some way or another. What are you going to do? Do you remember them?"

He shook his head for the fourth time, as he didn't know the spirit was talking to him.

Just then, all of the kids burst out of the nearest house and came running toward Link. One of them, Colin, fell down in front of him.

"Link! You have to save Ilia! That monster thing came back and took her away to the north somewhere!"

He cocked his head to the side in question. Who was this Link? And who was Ilia?

"Link? You're acting funny…" Colin looked up at his hero and saw not a glimmer of recognition in his eyes, as did Midna. "...Does Midna know about this?"

"Yeah, I know. And I don't understand it." Midna once again revealed herself, but this time as only her shadow form. The other kids walked towards him a bit apprehensively, as they too saw him acting strange. The shaman also walked over, but quicker than the others. He saw that his face was a deep red color, a sign that he was overheated, but didn't know that he didn't remember anything.

"Link, you don't look well. What do you say we get out of this heat?"

He stared at Renado blankly, not recognizing him either.

"Midna, do you know what's wrong with him?'

"No. He is acting like he doesn't remember anything."

That's when the realization hit him. "He's lost his memory!"

All the children gasped in shock at more of the shaman's raised tone than him losing his memory, although they were still worried for him. It didn't faze Link in the least, as he still didn't know they were talking about him.

"You there." He pointed to Link. He finally took notice and looked over. "Come inside. We need to tend to you."

He sluggishly made his way to the old inn, and he only made it a few steps before he began to fall. Renado noticed this and caught him before he could hit the ground. He didn't lose consciousness, he just couldn't stay up. So the shaman helped him walk as they made their way into the inn. He met with the same bed, though he didn't remember that either. He had trouble staying awake as Renado took a seat beside the bed to take a look at him. His muscles felt tense, as if under heavy use, and his breath was beginning to shorten. He also found that despite feeling as though he were on a mountaintop, he was covered head to toe in a thin layer of sweat. Before he could figure out why he felt this way, he fell asleep.


	10. The Twilight of Lanayru

He slept for a few days straight as Renado looked him over. He didn't see anything in particular that would cause him to sleep so long, until he thought about the bite marks. After examining them closely, he noticed that they were, in fact, poisonous. He must've not known at first, so he had carried on with what he was doing. But now it was affecting him since so much time has passed. The poison of a Deku Baba runs it's course slowly, much slower than a huge spider bite, not like the one he had been bitten by, which was also poisonous. To be bitten by two venomous creatures in a day can't be good. There was, unfortunately, nothing he could do about it at this time except pray to the goddesses that they spare him.

The children all crowded the small room the whole time, refusing to eat or sleep until they knew Link would be alright. No matter how much Renado said he would be fine, they wouldn't budge until they saw him wake up. That was, until Renado made them snap. Except for Luda, none of the children ate much before rushing back upstairs to see that their brother-figure would be alright.

Despite the shaman telling them to stay quiet so as not to rouse Link, Talo didn't listen, being the crazier of the bunch. He jumped up onto the bed and got right into his face before yelling his name just so he would wake up. For some reason, however, he wouldn't come to like he always had in the past. Even Talo was left shut up finally. He was cold as stone, just laying there, completely unmoving. Then Renado took it upon himself to try and wake him.

"Link…" He shook him rather roughly, harder than he normally would. Luckily, or by the goddesses, it wasn't long after that that Link finally came to. His vision was still a little blurry, but he could still see all the people crowded around him. Talo was still in his face, and when he saw that he nearly screamed. The shaman practically pushed him off of the hero so he could breathe.

"Ah, you're finally awake. I'm glad to see you're alright." He motioned to the kids to go downstairs. "You've lost your memory, so we'll do what we can to restore it. Also, you have taken a few bites to the arm and neck, I see. Those were poisonous, so you may not be able to get out of bed for a couple more days. Do you remember anything, at least?"

He shook his head in reply.

"I see. Well, don't worry about it. Just know that it will come back to you eventually. But what I don't understand is how you lost it in the first place."

He shrugged and tried to get up.

"Hey, now. I just said you can't get up yet." He placed a hand on his chest to ease him back down. He protested at first, but found it impossible to get up. He was still extremely weak and shaky. Renado saw how slow and pitiful his attempt was and tried to take his mind off of it. "Look. I know this probably won't help much, but you at least have to know your name. Your name is Link, and you are the hero chosen by the goddesses."

He nodded, and before he could say anything else, he had fallen asleep once again. Renado felt something strange when holding Link down onto the bed, and when he pulled down his tunic just a bit, as well as the undershirt, he saw a large bruise across his chest where Darbus's chain hit him. He recognized it as the same and turned him over gently. He knew that he must've collided with something if he was hit that hard. He felt all down his back and found that there were several fractures along his spine, but thankfully it wasn't broken. That was when he knew that he would have to stay in bed longer.

"Is it...bad?" Midna asked him, thankful that she could.

He sighed. "Truthfully, it is. He nearly broke his back in the process of fighting the patriarch of the Gorons. He must wait at least a week before he can walk again safely."

"For the love of Nayru, Link…"

"So, I've been meaning to ask...where do you come from?"

"Me? Well...have you ever heard the rumor of a parallel world to Hyrule?"

"Actually, yes, I have."

"Well, I don't know how to say this, but… That rumor is actually true. That place is called the Twilight Realm, and I am the princess of that realm. Known as the Twilight Princess, as you know. I just can't tell Link that yet because he would flip if I did, even though he lost his memory. For now, you're the only one other than those in my realm who know."

He slept a couple more days without disturbance, just as he needed. Midna, truthfully, was worried for what felt like the first time since they met. She tried to wake him up softly, as did the other kids.

"Link? Can you hear me?"

He didn't react. He was seemingly lifeless.

"Come on, Link...just do something...tell me you're okay."

He fluttered his eyes open slowly before meeting Midna's worried gaze.

"I'm glad you're awake. You kinda had me worried, stupid wolf." The last part was almost a whisper.

He mustered a chuckle, as she had called him a wolf for what seemed like no reason at all.

"Right...I thought you'd remember that at least. Look, my name is Midna. Do you remember that?"

He shook his head.

It was then that Renado quietly walked in the room.

"Link, can you turn over? I need to check on your back. You nearly broke it when fighting Darbus the patriarch."

He didn't know what he was talking about, but obeyed nonetheless. He felt along the spine and seemed surprised.

"I don't know how, but you've healed faster than I anticipated. If you're strong enough, you can walk again. But I'd still exercise caution if you're going to fight."

He was more than happy to know that he can get out of bed again. He nearly jumped out from under the covers and ran across the room to get his sword and shield strapped on. He was ready to end being the hero or whatever and just get it over with, as he wanted a normal life like everyone else. Renado couldn't help but laugh as he reminded him of how a little kid who was let outside for the first time in weeks would act.

Link traveled to the north at the behest of Midna, across Hyrule Field and the Bridge of Eldin to the entrance of Lanayru Province, where the Curtain of Twilight waited for them. He and Midna both found out at the same time that there were gigantic boulders blocking the way to the new province. He began to worry how he would get through, but then Midna interrupted his thoughts.

"Don't worry so much about that. I can handle that myself."

She created the same hand that she had used to defeat King Bulblin when Link was hurt to smash the boulders into tiny bits.

"There, problem solved. I can't do that in water, so call me when you need me to do that on land only."

As they walked toward the Curtain of Twilight, leaving Epona behind because she won't go anywhere near twilight, Link could feel the familiar energy emanating from it. It is a power darker than he has ever felt before. It almost felt good when they stood in front of the twilight, like a cool breeze. He kind of enjoyed it, actually.

"Hey, look. Lanayru Province is the last twilight covered place you will ever see in Hyrule. Do you want me to let you into the twilight? Of course you do. I really have to stop asking you that." He was going to say he wasn't ready yet, that he had to do something else first, and he also didn't quite know what the twilight was, but Midna sank through the twilight for the last time and pulled him through. Once inside, he transformed, as usual, and Midna hopped on his back. "That's a good little obedient wolfy! Now you have to do just what I say. Since you're fine now and ready, I don't have to pity you anymore, so get going!" And now he knew why she called him a wolf before.

Through the twilight they traveled, not finding any spirits for some reason. Maybe they were all just hiding? Link thought on it until they came upon the Great Bridge of Hylia, which spanned across all of Lake Hylia about a thousand feet up, or so it seemed. Halfway across the bridge Midna asked, "Hey, do you smell anything funny? Smells like flammable stuff. Take a sniff." Wolf Link sniffed around the bridge and spotted a single Moblin on the other side. With a single flaming arrow, it shot the end of the bridge, lighting it on fire. It also shot the side it was on and ran away. As the fire rushed toward them, Midna started to freak out. "Get us out of here! Look, there are crates over there! Push them to the edge of it and jump off! Hurry! Get us out! Get us out!" Link ran as fast as he could to the crates, but the fire was almost there, and he froze. This was when Midna really freaked out and decided to do it herself. So she quickly pushed them to the edge and looked down. Down below was almost nothing but land, so there would be little chance of escape, but they had to take the chance. She slapped him in the face to get him moving again. He jumped off into the small pond below, where he safely landed just as the fire had covered all of the bridge. He looked up and saw that the bridge was completely stone, so it would not burn up. They could go back there someday if they had to.

"Well, you did better than I expected. I thought I would have to abandon you and leave you there to die, but you did pretty well, for a wolf, although I had to do it myself. I said that out loud, didn't I? Anyway, this is Lake Hylia? But there is so little water… Maybe the twilight dries up water in this world. But you have to find the water source and find a way to bring all of the water back, at least long enough to where you can get to the spirit's spring up there. Wait, look! Hawk grass! If you howl by it, something might happen. It's worth a try, although it might do something else other than call that hawk you've always known in Ordon Village. Since you're a wolf now, you can't exactly blow into it and grasswhistle like you used to do, so I suggest that you find another way. Maybe you can howl by it."

As Link trotted over to the grass, almost happy for some reason, another Moblin saw them and ran over to the grass and whistled through it, calling the biggest bird they have ever seen! It jumped on it and started shooting flaming arrows at them. The bird flew down to grab at them, but they bit back, literally. It took off, leaving the Moblin behind, who was easily killed off. After all of that was over, the bird was still hovering over them, and Midna claimed it and took control over it. "Hey! Why don't we use the bird to get us all the way over to the water source?" The bird grabbed him by Midna's command and flew off down the Zora's River.

By the time they made it to Upper Zora's River, the bird let them go, and flew off.

"Good, so that thing turned out to be more useful than I would have ever expected. So let's go and find the Zoras, and hurry up. It's starting to get really cold in here." All of the water wasn't here, either, so they headed to Zora's Domain down the dried up riverside. When they made it, they started looking around at all of the ice that had formed there. Zora's Domain was completely frozen over. Must have been the Twilit creatures.

"This is odd. Who knew that Zora's Domain would be frozen over? We have to find a way to melt the ice. Maybe one of the giant volcanic rocks in Death Mountain will serve us well, but we can't warp out of here yet. Find a way to create a portal so we can come back here!" Soon enough, they made it to the top of the frozen waterfall, where they found all of the frozen Zora spirits, since dwellers of the light turn into spirits in the twilight. Three monsters greeted them by immediately charging at them in an attempt to kill them. They were so easily killed off though, that they could hardly be considered enemies at all. A portal formed over their heads, so they could warp into the World of Light.

They warped back to Death Mountain, but they couldn't see any volcanic rocks large enough. But they were in luck, sort of, as one almost fell on top of them. They chose that one to warp back to the twilight, and sure enough, it was large and hot enough to break all of the frozen ice and free the Zoras. The flow of the water was too strong to swim against it, so they should flow back to Lake Hylia in no time.

"Looks like we did it. Now let's get to the spirit. The flow quickened, so it should take us right down to Lake Hylia, and to the spring, if I am right. Let's get out of here."

But before they went out into the water, a voice called to them. "Wait!" They turned around and a spirit appeared out of nowhere. It looked similar to the Zora spirits they had seen, but much more regal. "I must thank you for freeing the Zoras from their frozen prison. They are my people. My name is Rutela, and I was once the queen of this place. But we were raided by monsters, and as a message to my people, they executed me before their eyes. I must ask you to find my son, who I had sent out to Hyrule Castle in search for help before my death. But danger had followed him there, I sense it. His presence grows weaker to me over time. Please, save my son. If you do I will bestow upon you the protection of water. This will help you to breath underwater freely. You will need it if you are to receive the third Fused Shadow. Save Ralis for me…"

So now he had a prince and Hyrule to save. It couldn't be too hard, right? He had come to realize a long time ago that most of the time he was wrong about things, as unfortunate as it was.


	11. A Scary Story

Link jumped into the water, where he fell down the waterfall and had no chance to stop on land, since all land was flooded and the current was too strong. But in ten minutes, they made it all the way to the spirit's spring, one hundred miles down river to the lake. Right around the World of Light they went, until they reached the end of the river. He was out for some time, as the current was so strong it knocked him out. Midna waited impatiently for him to wake up, which wasn't long. She jumped right on his back again once he stood up.

"Just as I predicted, we landed at Lanayru's spring. Hurry up and get to the giant ball of dust!"

Inside, they found the usual ball of dust. But this one was the last one to be found, for this is Lanayru, the last of the Light Spirits that was consumed by the twilight. They rushed to him, where he was waiting for them.

"Be careful…this realm has changed… It is an unfamiliar place for this era, but…you will find this place…to be connected…to your past lives… Therefore, it should…be easier to find my…lost light, though this province is far greater…than the others…even Eldin province. Find my lost light…and keep it in this… I am sure…that you are familiar with this process…seeing how you made it this far…but hurry, for the king who rules the twilight…now hunts you…"

No, he wasn't familiar with the process, but he could learn, right? And he was right.

"If finding the Tears of Light is so easy for you, why didn't you do it faster? I have to ride around on your back telling you where to go, and you go the opposite direction half the time. Why can't you just do what I say?" Midna complained.

Midna was right. Finding the light was pretty easy for them, but the reason Link went the other way was because he senses a danger in the ones in Lake Hylia, but he couldn't figure out what it was. It took a slap in the face from Midna to knock him back into his senses to keep looking. He finally stopped trying to escape having to do this and got back to collecting the tears. Three of them were where they were, but the others were scattered all over Lanayru Province, from where they were all the way to Zora's Domain. It will take some epic swimming to reach the domain. All of the Tears of Light were accounted for in the lake, so Link set out to swim to the domain. But Midna stopped him from jumping in the water.

"Aren't you forgetting something? You know, how we got to Zora's Domain in the first place? We just have to call that bird again and it will take us over there, and I suspect that there will be tears along Zora's River as well, so why don't we give it a try, before we skip them? Look, there's some grass over there that you can howl by to call it." The monster bird came before he finished howling, however, because it liked Midna as it's master better than the Moblin it once served. It seemed happy to see them, because it took them across the river without hesitation, following the tears that were there, as well.

When they were there, they found at least five tears there, and Midna looked at their map to see where else the spirit marked the locations. "Well, now you have to go all the way to this place called Castle Town, right by Hyrule Castle, and you should know where that is, right? It's twenty-three miles downriver and across the field! Good luck, Mr. Important Hero!"

That name she gave him had a familiar ring to it, but he wasn't sure. Almost as if she'd called him that before.

_Hasn't she called me that before? Why does she have to be such a jerk to me? I only try to help her. I've even helped her collect the first two Fused Shadows, as she'd said before, so what's her deal? _Link thought to himself as he made his way down the river. _Though she looks evil, she may not be after all. I mean, she has helped me escape Bulblin that one time, so she also says. I guess I could give her some credit for that. But that doesn't mean that she is to be let out of my sight!_

Soon, they made it to Hyrule Field, but not the same one. It was a small portion, but Castle Town pretty much fills up the whole thing, so that takes away even more of the field. But Eastern and Western Hyrule Field are connected together by Castle Town, so they in a sense are all one field. They found a ghost town when they entered, literally. Spirits were everywhere, along with several large buildings that looked like they were ancient, yet modern at the same time. Banners with the Crest of Hyrule were everywhere, so you could really tell that this was Castle Town, Hyrule.

"This place is nicer than I expected, but then again, it's in twilight, so I better appreciate it. But try to look for clues as to where that tear is. Also, while you're at it, why don't you look around a little? You might find Ilia here, as well. So, I think I sense the power of light that comes in every tear somewhere in Southern Castle Town, so you should look there first. But there is really something else I want you to know. I am not a jerk because I enjoy it, but because I don't want you to find my true identity yet. You will find out later what it is, and Renado almost said it back in Kakariko Mura…that means Kakariko Village."

In the southern part of the town, they did find the Tear of Light, but also they found an open door to a bar, so they went inside, hoping it was one of those bars with that special "milk" that you can easily get drunk on, but instead they found a group of spirits, much like in Kakariko Village when the spirits of the village residents were all huddled in the corner of the room, looking out for monsters. When Link used his senses to see who they were, he found the bar owner and Ilia trying to do what they could to save someone who was dying. They realized when they looked over that it was Rutela's son. Now when they saved the land from twilight, they could at least find him again here.

They quickly left and headed back to Lake Hylia, where the last Tear of Light was to be. But when they got there, they found it very strange how it was over water instead of land. As they headed over to where it was supposed to be, the biggest bug they had ever seen flew out of the water, and it looked nasty!

"Eww, what is that thing? You'd better take care of it right now and not run away again! It's only a matter of time before Zelda is to die. It's been at least a year since we last saw her, and I know the feelings you have for her!" Midna shouted over the roaring of the water and the electricity that generated from the monster.

Zelda?

It charged at them with full power, and it looked similar to what happened with the Moblin and the bird thing, so they started to attack it the same way the did the bird thing, and soon, it was in the water, stunned by it's own power of static electricity in water, and they used Midna's special ability to tear off all of it's legs at once. It screeched and hung upside-down in midair, and that was the weirdest thing they had ever seen, and exploded, revealing the last tear, and when they collected it, light was restored to Lanayru Province, and Link was confused all over again when Midna seeped back into his shadow. Maybe he'll find out what the heck was going on with the whole shadow thing, or maybe he won't. It's probably one of those things you never find out. Until now.

"I bet you're wondering why I am always in your shadow in the World of Light. It's because I will die if I am in my physical form in the light, kind of like a vampire in the sunlight. Now listen to the spirit and get the last Fused Shadow!"

When the light spirit known as Lanayru finally came out of the water, it appeared to be a sort of snake spirit. Ordona was a goat, Faron was a monkey, Eldin was a bird, and now Lanayru is a snake. What's next?

"I am Lanayru. I am the last of the Light Spirits that was consumed by twilight, as you know, but now that you have restored the light to me, you can find the dark power you seek. It lies in the sleeping Lakebed Temple at the bottom of Lake Hylia. But before you go, there is something you must know, and never forget it. You must know that it was the will of the goddesses that we Light Spirits locked away the Fused Shadows, the forbidden power…"

He closed his eyes against his own will as the spirit continued.

"Long ago, the goddesses created the land, and called it the Sacred Realm. The world was at a serene peace that lasted for many years, and this place would soon be called what you know as Hyrule…"

He saw four beams of light, red, blue, green, and purple, fly right by him in this odd dreamscape of nothingness he found himself in. They created a little grassy hill, and the same crest that appeared on his hand formed right in front of him, a sort of holy power in it.

"Among this peace and tranquility was a dark power known as what is now called Dark Link. Him and three others, Shadow Link, Fierce Deity Link, and you, threatened to take over the Sacred Realm using the Fused Shadows."

He saw three figures appear before him, black and gray with bright red eyes. They looked at him and outstretched their hands in unison, and the next thing he knew, he was being disintegrated into millions of pieces. Then he saw himself among those people who looked like dark forms of himself, his eyes seemingly soulless.

"That's when the goddess Hylia ordered us to step in and stop them. We used our light power to seal the Fused Shadows away."

With the others, he looked behind him and saw four orbs of light descending from the sky, and the Fused Shadows disappeared as they locked it away forever. He had come so close...he wanted the power of the Sacred Realm to himself, and it was just...taken from his grasp. Those same Fused Shadows circled around his head at that moment, and he felt their power. It felt great to him. He felt as though he could rule the world. But he couldn't control himself. Not his thoughts, his feelings, his actions… All he knew was a lust for power.

Then he saw Ilia.

She was slowly descending from nowhere in particular, and she was laughing. It seemed like she was laughing at him, but he found out what it was.

"Those who don't know the power, however, will soon be ruled by it. Never forget these words…"

He didn't want the Fused Shadows anymore. He was defenseless against it, and he never wanted to feel it again. When the Light Spirit freed him from the nightmarish vision, he couldn't think straight. He felt dizzy and sick, and a strange numbness overtook him before the nothingness.


	12. Zelda's Telepathic Call

"Link…?" She called softly to him when she heard the thud. When he gave no response, she came out of his shadow to see what was wrong, for she could not see everything from the shadow. She saw him lying there unconscious once more.

"Link, this isn't funny. Now get up!" She slapped him harshly across the face, causing nothing more than for him to fall into the spring below, as he was already at the edge of the outcropping anyway.

She gasped at the sudden shock of him falling and immediately dove in after him. She used a little bit of her magic to reveal herself in physical form so she could carry him up in the hand she formed with her magical hair. Even though it was strong, though, she still had a hard time carrying that much weight. But she eventually made her way back up onto the land and set him down on his back. He didn't wake up, even when he fell in. After catching her breath, she returned to her shadow form, as her magic was giving out and needed time to replenish. She didn't need to do that when she was in the twilight, as she automatically reverted to her physical form in that realm.

She looked at him with a slight feeling of worry for the hero. He looked fine on the outside, but he didn't sound so peaceful. He was moaning softly as he was probably having a bad dream or something. If that was so, however, then he never had a nightmare before. Maybe he was in pain? That couldn't be, she thought. If he was, then even in his sleep he could mask it. So, she was at a loss for what was wrong.

She had seen everything that the Light Spirit showed him, but it didn't affect her like it did him. Maybe he was dreaming about what Lanayru had said? That could be possible, but why on Farore's green earth would that affect him so much? He didn't remember anything about...anything. There's no other way to describe it. He didn't remember anything from his childhood, from when he was first pulled through the twilight, from when he met Midna...nothing. He was being led blindly at this point by an imp he hardly knew. She knew he knew it was for a good cause, but she could sense that he felt uneasy about being around her.

And that was understandable.

Who would trust a little monster at first glance, anyway? Even if they introduced themselves and proved at the time that they were good and on their side, who would trust an imp? She was almost always a shadow when he saw her, hiding in his own, so he rarely ever saw her, and when he did see her in her physical form, she was either talking to the others back in the village, had to make herself fully visible to make a point of something, or he was a wolf and she was on his back. And even then, he couldn't see her that well, as he can't twist his neck around like an owl.

She was beginning to wonder if anyone would ever truly trust her. They could have trust issues with her, or she may say something wrong or tell a blind lie without realizing… Either way, that would be trouble. She truly did want to build trust with the people here for as long as she had to stay, but for nothing more. She didn't care about the Light World, right? She just wants the Fused Shadows, right? She would abandon them as soon as she got what she wanted...right?

As she was thinking on these things, she didn't notice the sun set behind Hyrule Castle in the distance, and she further didn't notice that Link was beginning to stir. She was only aware that he was awake when she saw him looking right at her, a confused and mistrusting look on his face, as she feared it would be for everyone. She gazed back at him wordlessly with her one crimson eye that was visible and slid in his shadow while speaking at last to him when she was sure he was listening.

"The sleeping Lakebed Temple…now we know for sure that we _have_ to get the water thingy Rutela told us about. Go and get it so we can get the last Fused Shadow and take down Zant!" She wanted so badly to be nice to him, but she also didn't want him to soften up, like she had thought when she first saw him in the twilight.

Before Link walked out of the spirit's spring, still dazed, Midna started talking again. "Also, Link. The spirit said Dark Link, Shadow Link, Fierce Deity Link, and _you_. What do you think Lanayru meant by that? And why do you think all the evil ones are named after you?"

Back in Hyrule Castle, Zelda noticed all of the depressing twilight had disappeared, and light was restored once again. She was happy because she knew that Link and Midna had succeeded in thwarting the twilight from their land, but then that happiness quickly turned to contemplation as she thought about why she didn't die yet. Didn't Zant say that she would die a year ago?

"There you are, Zelda. It's so nice to see your shining face again. How's it going in here, always locked in your bedroom?"

"Zant, you said I was to die. It's been a year now, and still nothing happened. The light has even been restored to all of Hyrule, so I guess you lose." She stated in her usual calm demeanor as she looked on at the emotionless mask that the usurper king wore.

"Nonsense. I have a new plan, but that's a secret. I know of your special powers that can allow you to telepathically communicate with others, and I know you will let that boy of yours in on the plan, so I won't let you in on it just yet. No, you will know when I bring you to it, but before we do that, I have to drain your power and give it to my god. He will have twice the power he had before, and when he gets his hands on the Triforce of Courage, as you call it, he will be unstoppable!" Zant left the room at those words.

"At least he doesn't know about the other thing that would truly make him unstoppable. But nobody knows where it is..."

"What was that? There's another power somewhere?" Zant suddenly peeked back in the room. "Tell me where it is, and I will spare you your power."

"No. That artifact that is hidden in a place unknown is very secret, and is not to fall into the wrong hands, lest there be disaster for all, good and evil."

"You are just saying that so I would stop pestering you. But I know your tricks. Now, tell me where it is."

"And what would make you think I would just up and tell you?"

"At the expense of your people, you can keep the secret, for now. But trust me when I say this: that power will be mine, and I will offer it to my god, and he will use it to merge light and shadow together and make darkness!" He left the room once more in a huff.

_Link… You are in grave danger…_

_What?_

_Something is to happen soon, Zant is planning something… You may run the risk in all four lifetimes…_

_Four? But I only exist in one. Who's there?_

"Hey, Link! You fell asleep again there! What's going on?" Midna asked him.

Link woke up finally after Midna dumped water on his face. But the moment she did this, he fell into another trance, just like what happened at Faron Spring.

"Not again! Now I have to sit through all this again? Ugh! I wish this would go by much faster."

Hours passed, and Midna finally gave up and fell asleep. She must have slipped into one of those trances, because she heard the voice of a mysterious woman speaking to her. It sounded serene, like the flow of a river down a grassy hill on a cool spring morning with the wind just at a breeze.

_Midna… You have been blessed with extraordinary power…_

_Who's there? Show yourself!_

_You must not tell anyone about the powers you possess… It is a power more valuable than any Triforce ever before heard of..._

_But what is it?_

"Midna!"

Midna was startled awake by the Light Spirit. "You fell asleep there! I guess that means you know what happens when Link does that sort of thing?"

"You have a lot of actual emotion…for a spirit. Why aren't Ordona, Eldin, and Faron like you?"

"That doesn't matter. What does is that you find the last Fused Shadow and bring Zant to his knees!"

Midna realized that Link was holding her, and she liked it, because at least she didn't have to do anything like keep up with him in his shadow or anything, because that's hard for her to do that and still have the energy to talk and give advice.

"That's funny. It looks like you have a different sword than you've had before. Maybe I'm just seeing things…"

"No, actually. While you were out, Link here had beaten the Lakebed Temple, found a new sword, and came back here."

"_What?!_"

"...Just kidding, sheesh. You are just seeing things. Link has the same sword as always, and you were out for about twenty minutes, he was waiting for you the whole time. He really is patient, because he never complained, but just sat there waiting for you, because he understands."

"Fine. Let's just go and save that Zora kid or something, because I am really tired right now."

Just outside the spring, Link found some of the grass that Epona loves and blew into it, creating a beautiful melody that could be heard by the horse's ears even a hundred miles away. In no time at all, she arrived, happy to see her master again, and he gave her a loving pat before riding out of there and on to the bar to see Ralis and Ilia.


	13. Meet King Bulblin Again

In Castle Town, Ilia and the bartender were both wondering how they could save Ralis, because the sickness that he had was beyond even the doctor's help. But he was old, and all he thought of was giant pills. Link walked in just on time, as the doctor was heading out exasperated at not being able to care for the Zora child. Ilia simply looked at him and walked away, leaving both of them confused. Even Midna was left shut up by this. Unlike Link, Midna remembered what happened last time they saw him. Last time the kids saw Link, they all came running toward him, one of them falling over in the process. But now it's as if she doesn't even remember him.

"So that old man couldn't help either. That doctor's head is full of pills, isn't it? What do you think we should do?" The bartender asked Ilia as she walked back to where the Zora was laying unconscious.

"I…don't know. But I've heard of a place known as Kakariko Village, where the shaman was skilled in tending to Gorons and Zoras. If we take him there, maybe he could do something to help."

"Maybe that's so, but we would have to travel through two vast sections of Hyrule Field, and they are infested with monsters, especially at night. It's almost twilight now. If we are to make it there alive and with the Zora, we would need a skilled swordsman who isn't afraid of anything. Yes, we need one of them, and swatting a few monsters would be no problem for him." The bartender paused for a moment and finally noticed Link in the corner, watching them. She noticed the sword and shield on his back. "And it looks like we have a nice swordsman right here! I've heard of stories about a great swordsman by the name of Link, and I may never meet him, but I think he was referred to as the 'Hero of Time'. But from the description in the ancient texts, I think this one has a very close resemblance. Say, you there! You wouldn't mind helping us, would you? We are trying to find a skilled swordsman, but I suppose you've already heard, seeing how you were standing there the whole time. But I noticed that you have a very finely sharpened sword there, and a shield sturdy enough to be considered indestructible. That could be used to thwart the beasts that dare to stand in our way. We are heading over to Kakariko Village, so I suggest you prepare your horse, and get a move on. I understand I sound mean right now, but I am just a little impatient because this one here demands that we take this one, Ralis, over to the village tonight."

When she said that he only had a close resemblance to Link, he felt a pang of anger. She doubted him? It looks like he'll just have to show her that he _is_ Link.

"...I also heard from a group around here that he is a man of no words. He doesn't speak, he just does. Say, kid. What's your name?"

He said nothing.

"...Are you a man of few words, similar to the hero, or are you pretending to be him?"

He ignored her uncharacteristically and headed for the door to get Epona ready for the second trip. The bartender admired his skill at imitating the Hero of Time. Then she saw that he had a bow with no arrows.

"Wait. If you need arrows, you should go to the Town Square. There's a shop there that sells weapons. And hurry back."

Without protest, he quickly left the bar and headed to where the bartender instructed. He didn't have too much trouble in finding the shop she was talking about, and there was even a Goron in there that was selling them. He bought the arrows as fast as he could and ran out to find them again.

But something else stopped him.

_Link…_

A strange voice similar to his own called him. From the distance, it sounded like it came from the fountain in the center of the Town Square.

_Come closer…_

Other than it sounding like his own, he thought he heard that voice somewhere. He didn't want to come closer, but found his curiosity dominating his actions. He walked over to it apprehensively, still not sure he should, and peered into the water. Everything seemed normal, his reflection looking back at him.

Perhaps he was just hearing things. But as he turned around, it called him again.

_Closer, Link…_

He looked back at his reflection, and it still looked as it should. But when he least expected anything to happen, it sneered at him. It took on the familiar black and gray shades with crimson, soulless eyes.

_There you are, Link… I've been waiting for you…_

Link could no longer see or think straight. The entire world spun around him until he collapsed over the edge of the fountain, resulting in screams from an old passerby.

_I know where you're hiding, Link…_

_He felt completely powerless against whatever was talking to him. All he could do was listen._

_Come to me, Link...we'll rule the world together…_

_N...No… I can't…_

_I know you want to, just as you do…_

_I don't...even know you…_

_Don't you want it?_

_He gasped. That line was one he knew. It wasn't one that he's heard before, but he just knew it from somewhere._

_Well?_

_No…_

_Stop lying to yourself… I know what you want...after all… I'm you._

"Wake up…"

"Give him space, ma'am. Let him breathe…"

Link opened his eyes just a slit after being startled awake by his dream, and a wave of nausea swept over him. The bartender reached for a trash can, and he immediately grabbed it and retched until there was nothing more. When that came, he looked up at the woman and a strange short man with thick glasses that he knew as the doctor from earlier.

"What happened? I only asked you to get arrows, and when you took too long and I came looking for you, I saw you collapsed over the fountain. You didn't come to, so I brought you here."

He remembered the voice he heard at that instance, and tried to shrug it off. Getting up was quite the task for him, and right when he did he felt dizzy again. He passed out again, falling to the floor. Midna had the instinct to jump out of his shadow and try to wake him up, but of course she couldn't do that with others around. The bartender wasn't exceptionally horrified, but picked him up off the floor and laid him back down onto the bed he was in.

"Is he going to be okay?"

"His pulse is overly fast-paced, but if he gets his rest he should be fine. Just don't wake him. You _are_ paying me, right?"

"That's all you can think about? Whether or not you're paid? Don't you actually care about this one?"

"Not really." He scoffed. "My hands may be called the Golden Mitts, but I just want to be paid my daily amount, and I'm happy. Besides, he's probably just exhausted anyway."

"Well you should care. No wonder you're just a crusty old bat!" She took the hero into her arms. "I'll just take care of him myself, then." And with a final huff, she left the office.

Several people along the way to the bar wondered why Link wasn't awake yet, but she didn't answer their questions. There was a spare bedroom in the bar, where she set him on the freshly made bed. Then she sat and waited in a nearby chair. Every visible inch of him was tense, as he was probably having a nightmare.

His vision was still hazy when he woke up in the dim light of the room. His heart pounded in his ears as he shook his head to clear his mind of what happened. That voice...he heard it before, but he didn't quite know where from.

"You're awake? Don't pass out on me again. I don't think you can get up for a while, so just relax."

He didn't listen to a word she said as he stood up. He just wanted to get this over with. The bartender truly admired his strength to keep going even during the toughest of times, but that didn't stop her from stopping him.

"Please, at least give yourself a break, even if for a moment."

At last he gave in and laid back down. It was plain to see something was bothering him. The events of his parents' death kept replaying in his mind like a broken record, and it just made him angrier as he gripped the blanket he sat on as hard as possible without even realizing. The Crest of the Triforce shone brightly on his hand, not going unnoticed by the barmaid. She thought she was just seeing things, though. Even Midna was surprised by his display. She nudged his leg from his shadow, knowing she wouldn't be seen, and when he realized what was going on he released his grip. The Triforce stopped shining, but not completely. It was rather dim by the time he calmed down. The anger subsided only so much before resting at a certain level.

He had never felt that angry before. It left him tired out, so he rested his head on the pillow and was out immediately. As curiosity got the best of her, the woman at his side took his hand into her own. She carefully removed the glove and arm guard to see the Triforce right there.

She had heard many stories of the legendary hero coming to save Hyrule, but could he _actually_ be that hero?

Hours later he finally came back to his senses, the woman waiting patiently the whole time. The Zora couldn't wait any longer. When they were in the field, the bartender explained that the bridge to the west was destroyed, so they would have to cross the bridge to the east. Link already knew this somehow, as he has heightened senses in his wolf form, and memories carry form to form.

"You know what that means? It means you will have to deal with that thing on the Great Bridge of Hylia. But that won't be a problem for you. Good luck, young swordsman, and when we get to Kakariko I want to hear you speak!"

The thing she was talking about was a great beast by the name of King Bulblin, in other words, the thing that had kidnapped all of the village children, and Colin a second time, and the thing that nearly killed him. But this time, it was on patrol over the bridge, waiting for his revenge, for he knew that they would have to cross through there, because he also knew that they were headed to Kakariko Village, and that the Bridge of Eldin was destroyed. He had sensed that it had been destroyed while he was in the twilight in Lanayru Province.

"Well, what are you going to do now? There's no way you can defeat a fully armored beast with a sword, so you're going to find another way. Maybe that bow can be of use for you again, because he is more armored in the sides and back than the front, so I think a few arrows will do the trick, don't you think?" Midna asked him. "And also, what are you going to do when she asks for your name again?"

Link wasn't paying attention. He was still thinking about the visions he had seen in his dreams at the springs. He still didn't understand it, and it didn't seem as though he would anytime soon, so he will have to wait and see what happens. But what he did hear from Midna was that he could defeat the monster with arrows, so he would do just that.

They only made it so far down the road before they arrived at the Great Bridge of Hylia, where they met Bulblin again. Maybe he could sneak attack him, so he pulled out his bow and arrows, and he stuck one in the supposed king, and with one shot, he knocked him off of the wild boar that he was riding. But it simply pulled the arrow out and got back on, charging at them.

"Looks like it's your turn. Get out there and teach him a lesson!" The bartender called after Link.

Midna looked ticked as he was riding in. "I honestly thought you were a better shot. How could you use a bow perfectly well in the stuffy mines, but not in the coolness of the night? Looks like you're going to have to shoot more of them if you are to beat that thing. And remember to keep your left side guarded as you close in on him. Remember what happened?"

He simply ignored her at this point and shot another arrow, this time missing entirely. He shot another and another, but the king kept swerving, causing him to miss all of his shots. By the time he reached to pull out another, the king was already upon him. The repulsive Bulblin remembered the strike he had managed that had caused him to fall off Epona and where it was, so he struck there again when it was left unguarded. He screamed as the just fully healed wound was reopened, and it began bleeding again. He could hear the girls gasping from inside the carriage, and that was what kept him going: making sure that everyone would be safe.

Even if he didn't know these people.

He let another arrow fly, just barely missing Bulblin once more, and as he charged again and Link got ready to pull another out, he realized that he was out of arrows. He was at a loss of what to do at that point, and he foolishly left himself unguarded again, and this time, instead of being hit in the left side again, he was cut right across the chest. It wasn't deep enough to be fatal, but it was deep. His mind was already growing hazy, but through his blurred vision, he could just barely see King Bulblin charging again. It was like a joust again, this time Link having more trouble than last time. In one final desperate move, he unsheathed his sword and threw it as hard as he could at the ogre, impaling it immediately. It hadn't crossed his unclear mind, however, that the king would fall off the bridge with the sword. He did just that, and now that Link's blade was still in the beast's abdomen, he was left without one.

He laid his head on Epona's neck to get rid of the incessant dizziness that was ever present. He wanted to apologize to his mare for getting her soaked with his own blood, for they shared a special bond beyond the ordinary, but found he could barely do anything. He lifted his head just slightly when he heard the bartender.

"You're hurt, honey! Get in the carriage and I'll make sure that we make it the rest of the way safely. After all, what could happen in a few miles' stretch?"

He shook his head in protest, his head still on Epona's neck, as he struggled to straighten himself up and spurr his mare onward. But before he could move on, he slipped right off the saddle and hit the stone bridge.

"Please, just listen to her! You're practically dying right in front of us!"

He protested, though rather feebly, as he wanted to help these people, but also wished to just pass out so he didn't have to hurt like this.

Ilia stepped out of the carriage and rushed over to the hero. She placed a calm hand on his cheek, but he was so out of it by then that he didn't notice. He opened his eyes to be met with Ilia's green ones.

"Everything is going to be okay, I can tell you that. Just relax while we take you the rest of the way."

He reluctantly gave in, as he saw he could not fight anyway. The bartender also stepped out and walked over to him. Not unaware that she would get wet with his blood, she hurriedly picked him up and set him in the carriage, next to the Zora, as there was no other place for him. He hated feeling useless.


	14. To Save a Zora

They continued onward, and along the way, they did encounter many different sorts of monsters, big and small, but they mowed through them, after Link showed Ilia how to use a bow. Just as they were approaching the village, thinking that there were no more monsters, Ilia felt Link flinch. Even in his delirious state, he could sense danger. Without warning, a flaming arrow suddenly met Link's right arm, him yelping out loud as his sleeve caught on fire. He quickly put it out with the remaining strength he had while the young girl used the hero's bow against them. Link knew, however, that she couldn't fight them all off.

One of them had the guts to take a flaming arrow and light the carriage on fire. The barely conscious hero had only the strength to save one of them, either himself or the Zora.

He chose the Zora.

Quickly, he used the dwindling strength he had to pick up the boy and toss him outside the burning cart. He wasn't rough, as he had been taught a long time ago how to throw dead weight without hurting it. By the time he finished performing the feat, his energy was spent, and his head dropped. He knew he wouldn't survive this, and he accepted that. After all, he could go knowing that the prince of an entire race was safe. He let the flames surround him without fear. He would be fine once it was over anyway. He smiled at the thought.

After taking care of what seemed to be all of the monsters, Ilia concluded with a sigh before turning around to get back in the cart. She was shocked, however, to see it burning. Fearing the worst for both the Zora and the hero, she rushed over to it, desperately trying to find a way to put the flames out. To her surprise, she saw the sick boy on the ground just outside the ring of fire. Before her mind was put to rest, though, she found Link's motionless form inside the flames. The bartender also rushed over to see if there was a way to get him out of there, but she came up blank.

But Ilia knew what had to be done. Seeing that the back was mostly untouched by the fire, she rushed inside despite the older one's protests. Not strong enough to carry him in her arms, she chose the only alternative. She lifted him up until he was on her back, even though it hurt her, and dragged him out of there just before the whole cart collapsed. His tunic was burnt considerably, leaving most of his chest bare. His tights were also burnt, but thankfully not as much. She blushed at the sight of him, but took her mind off it as the bartender ran to her side. Link hadn't known how panicked he truly was; he could feel his heart pounding hard against his chest. But then again, it was also trying to replenish all the blood he had lost and was still losing.

"Ilia, that was too dangerous! You could have gotten yourself killed!"

"At least it would have been for a good cause."

She sighed; there was no getting through to her. She was just too stubborn. Instead, she took the hero into her arms as Ilia carried the Zora boy.

It was the middle of the night, and everyone was asleep. Nevertheless, the two girls made their way into the inn and up the stairs to find Renado, the Zora and hero in their arms. They found the room he was sleeping in and crept in quickly, but quietly.

"Renado? Wake up…" The bartender whispered at his bedside, startling him awake despite the softness.

"...Telma?"

"You've gotta hurry, Renado. There's a young man here who escorted us that needs your help right away."

He had a feeling who it was, so he had to ask, "Is he wearing a green tunic?"

She nodded, a little confused as to why he would ask. "Well, it's hardly one now."

At those last words, he shot up out of bed and looked him over. He could see the severity, even in the darkness, and hurriedly picked him up and rushed back into the other room, the boy just barely awake to see what was going on. He laid him back down on the same bed he was always in and prepared to clean up a bloody mess once more. This time, Luda was sleeping, so he had to do it himself, making the work that much slower. But, as aforementioned, he was quick with work most of the time, so it didn't take longer than ten seconds to get all of the remains of Link's many layers off to begin working, still being gentle all the while.

Ilia and the bartender known as Telma watched from the sidelines as Renado did what had become ordinary for him. Not that he only tended to Link. Lately he's had numerous injured patients come his way for help, so it made himself that much quicker. Then Telma just had to speak up, as her curiosity was at it's peak.

"...So, I've seen a peculiar mark on his hand, that of the Triforce. Is he...the hero Link?"

He didn't stop his work, but just nodded. Link also tried to nod, Renado stopping him from doing so. He began rebandaging him quickly, for he had lost far too much as it was. When he finished, Link was still cold to the touch, so he was covered with a thick quilt before Renado concluded his work for the time being.

Then he took notice of the Zora boy who still lay in Ilia's arms.

"Why didn't you tell me about the child?" He asked calmly as he walked over with Link's burnt clothing in his right arm as he took the kid in his left.

"I just thought that this 'Link' would need more attention than a sick Zora, as cruel as it sounds."

"You were half right in your assumption. He has passed through the worst of it. As long as he rests, he should recover in due time. But that doesn't mean he should be left unattended for so long."

She hung her head in half shame as Ilia took it upon herself to find a spare bed to sleep in for the night.

Renado took the small boy in his arms and carried him to a separate room to care for him as Link took his time to recover. He woke up several times throughout the night, Midna asking each time how he was feeling, but was so out of it that he didn't remember until the next morning. Even so, his memory was nowhere near recovered. Before he could stand up to strap on his weapons, Ilia walked in, a bit timid at first.

"Um...so, I was told that your name is...Link, right?"

He nodded.

"Right...so...are you, by chance, a wielder of the Triforce?"

_Triforce?_ He wondered as his friend looked at him, her gaze not faltering.

"You know, the three triangles? Legend says that a hero would come to save us who has that mark on his hand."

He took off his left glove and looked at his hand, and indeed, he did see the very mark she spoke of. He had no idea what it meant, or how anyone knew about it if he didn't. He wasn't entirely sure if he had truly lost his memory or not.

Renado stepped in as he was thinking about the mark. "I'm sorry, Link...it appears as though she's lost her memory as well. She can't remember anything about her past."

He felt a pang of sadness well up inside him. Even though he didn't know her, it still saddened him to know that someone else was going through the same thing he was.

"Do you know her?"

He shook his head, looking down all the while.

"I see…"

Then Ilia cut in. "Mr. Renado, does he know about the Triforce? The one on his hand?"

Link shook his head again before he could answer.

"Well, it appears he doesn't. Link, the Triforce is the power of the three goddesses, Din, Farore, and Nayru. I don't believe Hylia had anything to do with it, but it is said that the wielder of the three pieces, that of Power, Wisdom, and Courage, could be granted a wish, good or bad. The greater the person's desire, the stronger the Triforce's expression of that wish. That one on your hand there…" He gestured to his left hand. "That one is Courage. You are blessed with an extremely rare gift, and you must use it for the good of the kingdom. Now, you get some rest. I'll see to it that you find Rutela when you've recovered. Also, we all pitched in and made you a new sword, as I saw that you lost yours. It's right by your shield by the door, so when you have recovered enough, you can go back on your quest."

Just as everyone left, there was a flash of light, and Rutela appeared once again in front of him, as if she was waiting for everyone to leave.

"Thank you for rescuing my son. This way. Follow me…"

Following her was futile. He was still in extreme pain and could barely move without passing out. Renado came back in when he thought he heard something, and was surprised to see Rutela, but more so shocked to see Link picking himself up to follow her. It was clear that he was quickly tiring himself out, and that he can't take much more.

He didn't seem to notice the shaman standing there as he didn't acknowledge his presence. After a few minutes of this, he realized that he could not get up to save his life. He laid back down with a defeated sigh and was quickly asleep. Renado was relieved to see him get his rest when he saw him sleep straight through the next day. He even slept through all the several times when he had to replace his bandages, which was pretty much every few hours. But night came upon them as quickly as day had, and Link began to stir. The queen reappeared before him, ever patient. He rubbed his eyes, as he thought at first he was seeing things. When she was still there, he did the only thing he could do.

He got out of bed to follow the late queen. Queen Rutela led him to the graveyard in the very back of the village. As they followed, they found a large rock with the Crest of Nayru on it. The queen faded through the cliffside by this rock and removed it, revealing another path that they could take. It was a small tunnel, and when he crawled through, it revealed a great spring. And there, on the other side of the water, Rutela motioned them over, and once he made it over to where she was, he saw a single tombstone that looked like a Zora's fin.

"I am truly grateful that you have brought my son here. This place is a sacred land for us Zoras. It's no wonder Ralis was brought here. That of which I have promised you is within this grave. During his life, King Zora spent his time making special garments for the hero, in case he needed to travel down to the water temple. Please take it, and remove the dark power from our sacred temple of which is riddled with monsters. Please take care of this garment, that you call a Zora's Tunic, and yourself, Link. This one was made back in the Era of the Hero of Time, and it should fit you, because you are not that much younger than you were back then. Good luck."

Rutela removed the top of the grave and pulled out the Zora armor, which allowed it's wearer to breathe underwater freely. "Now at last, I can join my loved one in eternal slumber, but my son still knows nothing of my death, so if you see him again, please tell him that I am proud of him, and that I will love him without end. Please, tell him." She disappeared, and Midna was relieved that it was finally over.

"Well, it's a good thing that you got that armor, because now when you wear it, you can breathe under the water, which means you can finally go to the temple. But just remember that when you wear it, you will also be weak to fire and ice. So, are you going to the Lakebed Temple or not, because I need you to get the last Fused Shadow."

While she was talking, she noticed him begin to waver. He grabbed a nearby tree for support so he wouldn't fall and tried to listen to what she was saying, but it was impossible to hear at that point. His hearing was quickly fading away, and everything was just a blurred mess of random colors and shapes.

"Um, you alright? You look a little pale…"

That had to be the understatement of the Twilight Era. He grunted as the pain of standing got to him.

"I'm going to take that as a no. You should go back inside, just so you don't die out there and become completely useless to me."

She didn't finish her sentence before he began to fall. The last thing he could somewhat hear was Midna's terrified scream before his face met with the Zora's tombstone.


	15. Endurance

She was truly worried for him.

It was a mystery to her why she had warmed up to him so much as to care about him. To her, it just wasn't right, for she had only wanted to use him to get the Fused Shadows and take back her throne. Before, she had no problem being mean to him, but now it was slowly becoming more of a challenge.

Now that she looked at him, it was obvious he was freezing; he was shivering so violently she thought it would cause an earthquake. She had ways of sending telepathic calls to whoever she needed, so she did just that while she huddled close to her hero, hoping to keep him at least a little warm.

It was Renado who heard her call. He rushed out to the graveyard to bring Link back inside, only to find that he wasn't there. He couldn't find him anywhere in there. As doubtful as he was, he walked to the back, where, to his surprise, the stone with the Crest of Nayru wasn't there anymore. Every day he would go outside and check to see if it was gone just to find it in the same place as always, so to see it gone now…

He saw that there was a tunnel there that he could not possibly take Link back through to get to the inn, so he ran inside to grab bandages so he could tend to him there. He then ran back and crawled through the tunnel to find what was on the other side no less than breathtaking. He truly adored the spring there, purer than any water he has seen before, let alone in this dusty village. Even the Light Spirit's spring wasn't as clean as this, as Rutela's spring.

He was momentarily frozen in place by the awesome sight of the moon reflecting perfectly off the crystal clear water onto the red brown cliffside beautifully inlaid with mossy plants covered in multicolored flowers. That is, until he caught sight of Link laying by the ornately decorated Zora fin tombstone. Mindful of the bandages he held and aware that he would be quickly soaked, he dove into the water and swam all the way over to where he was. When he looked down at him, he caught sight of Midna as well. She didn't seem to acknowledge his presence, so he just got to work.

He began removing the old bandages and replacing them with the ones he had brought with him. He also noticed that his head was bleeding, right where he hit it, so he wrapped that up as well. Ilia had helped to make a new tunic for him, so when he was done with that he slipped the clothing on. Then he needed Midna's help.

"Midna?"

She seemed startled by her name being called, and quickly looked up to see the shaman knelt down beside the hero.

"Can you go back to the inn and grab a spare blanket for him?"

"Fine, but only because he needs it."

She flew over the cliffside to the inn, and in a few minutes she was back with the needed item. It was heavier than she expected, seeing as how Renado could carry it around no problem. He quickly took it and wrapped the hero tightly before looking back at the Twilight Princess.

"Is he going to be okay?" She asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"He should be fine as long as he stays warm. I just don't know how to get him back to the inn."

"I don't think you should move him."

"But this blanket alone won't help much in the cold air."

"It's too warm out here for you to worry anyway. Just leave him. After all, I've seen him survive thus far, so what is there to worry about here?"

"Midna, you don't understand." He was quickly becoming agitated with the persistent princess. "He has lost more blood than you know, even if you are the Twilight Princess and were there the whole time as you claim. Don't you get it? He can't take as much as he used to in this state, so what feels like heat to us is a winter wonderland for him. We _have_ to get him inside, and _now_."

"You don't seem to get just how strong he is. Do you even know how much he has been through? Because I can tell you the numerous things right now."

"By all means, go ahead!" His voice unexpectedly escalated, causing both him and Midna to flinch.

"He has survived the horrible pain of transformation into a beast at least three times now. He has taken a bite to the neck and arm from two venomous creatures, Deku Baba and Skulltula. He has been burned by Diababa the Twilit Parasite, and was forced to stand up right away. If you didn't know, that was also poisonous. He had to save Colin and took a deep gash to the side from Bulblin. He was forced into the intense heat of the Goron Mines, forcefully knocked into unconsciousness twice in there by the beasts you call your friends. He has fought Darbus the Goron patriarch, in which he took the huge metal chain to the chest and nearly broke his back. He nearly died of a heat stroke in there. He even went through emotional pain from what Lanayru the Light Spirit showed him. He had taken an arrow to his right arm, a flaming one at that, and nearly burned to death in the carriage used to escort your Zora. And while doing that he had taken another gash to his chest in another fight with Bulblin, and decided that saving the Zora came before his own life. He has even been abused by me this whole time to get him going. And now look at him. Now do you believe me?"

"I…" He didn't know what to say at that point. He saw the outcome of all those fights, but he had never truly known _what_ he was doing to have those injuries inflicted on him. He looked into the one visible eye of the princess, her gaze not faltering in the slightest. Finally he broke the silence. "Yes. I just didn't know what he was doing the whole time."

"You know what? I don't care as long as he survives this and as long as I can take back my kingdom. If that can be done, I'm happy."

He returned his attention to the sleeping Hylian, now more sympathetic than ever for him. "We still need to get him inside. Can you do that?"

She was becoming more and more irritated with having to carry everything around, but accepted anyway. She carefully lifted him and flew over the cliff as Renado followed. Midna felt him stir, much to her surprise. His ears twitched just slightly, and he slowly opened his eyes and met the gaze of his companion.

"Don't try to move, Link. You're up in the air."

Despite possibly making it worse for him, he looked down and saw he was at least a hundred feet in the air. He gasped, as he never was a fan of heights. He held on for dear life, for he did not want to fall from this height.

"You'll be fine, wolf. I didn't know you were afraid of heights, or I would have descended right when I cleared the cliffs."

_Uh, descend please!_ The thought screamed in his head, but he didn't expect Midna to hear that, so he was surprised when she followed instruction. That giant hand of her's had definitely proved useful in carrying heavy things or people, although he was only a hundred pounds.

Then Midna had to wonder. Normally when he wakes up his ears don't twitch. Why would they this time? Maybe something was going to happen, she didn't know. She couldn't sense things like he could, so if there was danger only he would know.

Last time they were in danger he flinched, so if there was something about to happen, she figured he would just do the same thing.

Little did she know that something was about to happen.


	16. Never Given a Break

He was about to drift off as Midna carried him back to the inn, until his ears twitched again. He thought he could hear something, almost like marching. It came from a distance, but not too far from the village, judging by the fact that he was in the air and it would sound more distant than it really was. Midna heard his heart rate increase rapidly, and before she knew what was going on he jumped from her grasp. He ran full speed into the old building to grab his sword and shield, then ran back out to the entrance of the village. Sword in his left hand and shield in his right, he was prepared for what was coming.

Just as he had predicted, several hundred, probably a thousand monsters stormed into the dusty village, all with weapons of their own. Upon sight of the hero, they all surrounded him, and he began exterminating them all. He did a fairly good job, except for the fact that each swing of his blade hurt and slightly distracted him. He was blind to the fact that some beasts had found their way onto the rooftops of the houses, all with bows in hand.

Midna watched the whole fight and was no less than amazed. First off, where were all these beasts coming from? It was as if they came from nowhere in mass numbers. And then there was the hero, no more than eighteen now, fighting them all off by himself. She knew she could just leave all the work for him, as it looked like he could handle it.

These beasts never wanted to give up to them. Or maybe it was just the fact that they were controlled by someone else and were forced to fight to the death. Either way it was their downfall. The Gorons who had made their way down to the village to help protect it joined in on the action and were quickly taking care of them. Maybe Midna had taken Link for granted, seeing the way he fought. All this the result of years of training under the used-to-be-most skilled swordsman in Ordon.

The Moblins on the buildings fired arrows randomly into the crowd, not able to tell who the enemy was. That helped greatly, and the Gorons were protected by their hard rocky backs, so they didn't have to worry about arrows. Link, however, was much more vulnerable than them. In no time at all an arrow met his back, causing him to pause momentarily. He felt arrow wounds before, so it wasn't so bad as it was the first time. It also wasn't the worst that happened to him, so he could move on easily. He didn't know where the arrows were coming from, so didn't know where to look.

When the archers recognized him as the enemy, they all fired at him. Most shots were unsuccessful, as they had no training under their belts like Link did. Actually, he never needed training with the bow. It all came naturally to him, a nice trait of being the descendant of the Hero of Time. This new Hero of Twilight was more skilled than his predecessor, in fact.

Another arrow struck his left arm, making fighting nearly impossible with that one, so he switched hands. He had no choice but to drop his shield in order to fight. He wasn't ambidextrous, but he could try, right?

His fighting wasn't nearly as good from that point on. He still took down the monsters fairly quickly, but not as effectively. After all, his right arm wasn't as strong as his left. There were still a couple hundred beasts left, and they showed no sign of retreating. He was tiring himself out, though. He understood that there would be time to rest later, but he desperately wanted to at that point.

Yet another arrow, a flaming one, hit his wrist, meaning that he had to switch back to his left hand. Then he found out where these arrows were coming from. While the monsters were distracted by the Gorons, he pulled out his own bow and launched arrows at the roof Moblins. He took those out in a matter of seconds. Seeing no more of those, he returned his attention to the ground army. With the help of the rock monsters, he was able to finish the last of them off. While they cleaned up around the village, Link made his way back to the inn. Before he could do so much as climb the steps, an unexpected projectile hit him right in the chest, just above his heart. That arrow came from one of the Moblins who was hit, in a ditch effort in killing him, before it fell. That fourth arrow was what made him collapse.

When Renado made his way out of the graveyard, as for some reason he had taken that long, he was shocked to see all the dead Moblins everywhere. He rushed over to Link when he saw him lying on the ground just outside the inn. He saw the arrows sticking out of him and at first glance he looked like a goner. That's why he was surprised to see him trying to get up off the ground, though he was failing miserably. At last he passed out, freeing him of the pain. That will be one more thing he has had to endure if he survives this.

Mindful of the arrows, Renado rushed into the inn with the hero in tow, laying him on his usual bed when he made it to the room. Firstly, he had to replace the old bandages yet again, as they were already bled through, even the one on his head. He was slower than last time with this, since he had to watch and avoid hitting the projectiles. He did succeed in the task, though, and moved on to the arrows. He was glad that three of them had gone all the way through, because it would make it easier to remove them. But there was one that didn't, and that one just had to be the last one inflicted. He thought that with him collapsing outside he would have pushed it through himself, but he landed more on his side.

The reason he wanted the arrows to pierce him well enough to come out the other side was because then he could just snap the head off and pull the rest out. If it didn't come out the other side, he would have to push it through, or the arrowhead would get stuck inside. He quickly removed the first three, and wanted to push the last one through before Link woke up. But he didn't get his wish. He saw the hero's eyes flutter open slowly before he could start. This was going to be hard, as he did not want to cause unnecessary pain for him.

"Link, I wish you could have stayed unconscious, because this is going to make it much harder for both of us. The arrow in your chest did not come all the way through to the other side, so I unfortunately have to push it out, or the head will get stuck. I'm sorry, but it has to be done to save your life."

He seemed barely fazed by what he said. He has felt arrows hit him, but he has never been awake to feel them being removed, much less pushed through. But when he began, his eyes went wide. He couldn't stifle the scream that came and was barely aware that he was emitting it at all. He gripped the blanket beneath him as hard as he could, as if it could ease the pain. He shut his eyes tight, for he did not want to see what it looked like. Renado said that it would only take a few seconds to push it through and remove it, but for him it was an eternity and a day. When he was done, he went limp entirely. He released his grip and dropped down onto the bed.

"I know it hurts, but do you feel better otherwise?"

He shook his head in reply before nothingness swept over him.

He hoped he would never have to feel anything like that again, as long as he lived.


	17. Poisoned

It was quite a while before he finally woke up in the darkness of midnight. He felt Midna waiting in his shadow when his sense of feeling returned to him. He looked down at her, and she seemed rather impatient, as she always did.

"Well look who's awake. I hope a week's worth of sleep was enough for you, because that was a week that you just wasted, stupid wolf. Can we go now?"

There was no getting around Midna when she wanted something done. She was far too stubborn for that. When she wanted something, she wanted it right then. He did have to admit that the Fused Shadows were important, and he did take quite a while to recover since escorting the Zora. So he didn't protest as he stood up to strap on his weapons, even though it was the middle of the night. He didn't really want to go until he was fully healed, but Midna was persistent.

The river was nearby, so all they had to do was jump in and let it take them back to Lake Hylia, but he couldn't do that. He wasn't strong enough to swim quite yet, especially against the strong current, and he couldn't get his bandages wet. So he took the long way there. With Epona, he could make good time. It would take a couple of days at the most, so he didn't complain. Also, he wanted fresh air after being in that inn for a week. Midna rolled her eyes at the fact that he would take the long way.

"Well, you will probably pay the price soon enough for doing something like that. I say you should just take the river." She had said before he could call Epona. He had glared at her momentarily before getting on his mare's back and taking off.

Things seemed fine along the way to Lake Hylia to him. There was nothing to fight, which was a little odd. There was not a soul in Hyrule Field, as if the attack on Kakariko had finished them off. Or perhaps they had just learned not to mess with him. As great as that would be, he knew that wasn't it. He just didn't know what. They couldn't be smart enough to learn how to sneak attack. That was rather impossible for them to achieve.

Midna, however, could tell that something was amiss. They weren't gone, she just knew it. She glanced around in all eight directions and the infinite ones inbetween, to find nothing but the vast field. They had to be around somewhere, somewhere around there. At last she accepted the fact that they weren't there and stopped looking. She instead fell asleep in his shadow without a worry in the world. After all, if danger _did _come, she knew Link would be able to fight them off.

But she soon awoke when Link unexpectedly stopped. She looked at him, and he looked around the landscape.

"For what reason did you stop your forward motion? I didn't say you could stop."

He unsheathed his blade and jumped off the saddle onto the ground. He was quick enough to slice an incoming arrow in half before it hit his face. Moblins came out of the trees and charged at him, and he wasted no time in fighting them off. Wherever these monsters came from, he didn't care as long as he could survive.

It was a quick battle. He eradicated the last of them with an exasperated huff as he put his sword away and prepared to get back on Epona. Before doing so, he was shot in the arm with an arrow, this one having given him a burning sensation even though it wasn't a flaming arrow. Obviously one had surpassed him, and seeing as how it was too far away, he took out his bow and shot one of his own arrows at it, killing it instantly.

When he was done, he looked down at the arrow sticking out of his arm. Unfortunately, it didn't go all the way through, so he braced himself as he grabbed it and shoved it the rest of the way through. He grunted, but it wasn't as bad as the last time. He snapped the head off and pulled it out, throwing it on the ground. He used some of the bandages that Renado put in his pouch to wrap it up before moving on as though nothing happened.

"You moved past that pretty quick. Are you sure it wasn't an especially dangerous arrow?"

He didn't hear her, nor did he listen. He just kept moving, and Midna didn't even try to get his attention. She knew by the way that arrow looked that it wasn't an ordinary one.

The day was rather chilly, yet as they approached the lake Link grew exceedingly hot. He didn't know why, but he just was. It was becoming harder to breathe, and he was suddenly dizzy. He had his grip on the bridle, and straightening his fingers sent a bolt of pain up his arm. It wasn't long before he slipped and fell to the ground. Midna flew out of his shadow, and when she saw the hero's suddenly worsened state, she shook her head.

"I told you that you would pay the price. I knew that arrow was poisoned the whole time, yet you just wanted to take the long way, so I left you to figure it out yourself. And now look at you."

He didn't try to get up, as by now he knew that he wouldn't be able to. The world around him spun relentlessly, not helping with his dizziness in the slightest. But when something unexpected happened, he was forced to get up. They were ambushed again by another group of Moblins. With his blade in his hand, he started fighting them off. It would have been easier if he weren't poisoned, but that made him more sluggish. He barely had the energy to fight, or even stand. And that is why he had been stabbed by one of them, the last one. He stumbled and fell over, leaving Midna to take care of the last one. She picked the pesky thing up and threw it a mile away. She was sure that it was dead by the time it landed. She then flew over and assessed the damage. Proven to be fatal, she quickly wrapped that up, careful not to use all the bandages, lest he be hurt again and they run out.

"You're lucky the beast only had a small weapon, but it was still deadly. Can you even hear me?"

No, he couldn't hear her. She decided that they had to stop, so she left to gather wood to make a fire, as it might help him. Where they were, there were barely any trees around, and the ones she found were small. So she did the first thing that came to mind. She tore an entire tree out of the ground using some of her Twilit magic. Seeing as how that would be enough for a night, she hurriedly made her way back.

She was glad that he was still where she left him, but then she worried for him all over again. She knew that without proper care one could not hope to survive if poisoned, but she wasn't about to let him know that. She quickly built the fire so he could stay warm, although she doubted he would live anyway.

Around midnight as he slept, Midna thought she could hear him mumble something unidentifiable as words. In truth, she was surprised he was still alive at this point. It wouldn't be much longer, though.

_You have come far too close, Link…_

_It was one of the goddesses who spoke to him in his dream. He couldn't see the actual goddess through the bright blue aura, but he knew it was Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom._

_I won't survive this, will I? Is this it for me?_

_You have no right to say that this is the end of you. Whatever happened to the tenacity to keep going that you had always possessed?_

_I don't think I ever had that…_

_Nonsense, hero… Whether or not you realize it, it was always you who pushed yourself onward in the toughest of times. Many times you nearly met with death, and many times you stood up and kept going. That is the true nature of the courage you were given._

_I just don't think I will survive this._

_Link...a sword has no power unless the hand that holds it has courage…_

_Why are you telling me this?_

_How have you been able to wield your blade in battle?_

_Because it is light enough, and because I have to._

_No...weight has nothing to do with it, neither does the fact that you have to. It is purely because of your courage. A cowardly man has no chance in a fight. The level of courage you possess is what allowed you to win the toughest of battles. That courage is what you need now to live through this. Something as simple as poison should not be enough to do you in. Now, go back and let your Midna know that you are not gone._

_But she doesn't care about me. She only cares about the Fused Shadows and defeating Zant. She said before that she holds no pity for the World of Light, so she will not care if I die._

_Look down there at her, and you will see that she truly does care for you. She is truly worried that you will not live through this, she is almost certain that you're done for. You have to let her know that you are still there. Look, if you want to save Hyrule from the darkness that plagues it, remember this: you must find the Wisdom to seek the Courage that will grant you Power when you have Time. Remember that, and you will surely win._

That was the last thing he heard from her before nothingness. Midna watched in awe as something happened to the hero. His hand began to shine with the holy power of the Triforce of Courage. And not long after that he began to stir. He opened his eyes just a slit, then completely when he saw his almost friend right in his face. She was...smiling. For the first time since he met her she seemed truly happy. But she couldn't find anything to say. She just remained silent, her one visible eye softened to the point where it actually showed compassion. When she realized what she was doing she quickly wiped away her smile.

"So you finally woke up? I truly thought you would not survive that. But now that you have, can we go? We still have a Fused Shadow to get."

Then it all clicked in his mind. Everything that happened...it all came back to him. He gasped as he remembered all that had transpired before the Goron Mines. He remembered his parents, the village he lived in, and the Forest Temple. He remembered the children being taken and the fight with Bulblin. He remembered fighting the patriarch, he remembered the children, and most importantly...he remembered Midna.

"You finally remember? Thank the gods! Now I won't have to drive around someone who doesn't know what is going on. Now we can truly go get the Fused Shadow."

He mustered a smile of his own; she finally cracked.


	18. When Faced With Death

He was a little hesitant about trusting a piece of clothing to help him breathe.

"You're not going in any time soon, are you?" Midna asked him as she saw he wasn't moving.

He shook his head as he continued to look down into the crystal clear water. Even with it's depth, he could see the bottom of the lake and the entrance to the temple. It was decorated with various gems, from rubies to emeralds to diamonds to amethyst.

"Well, you're not getting me that Fused Shadow any faster, so move!"

He still wasn't entirely sure he should. He knew he couldn't mistrust a queen, but it just seemed odd to him that a suit of armor would sustain his oxygen underwater, hundreds of feet below. There was much to the suit, including a black undershirt, a blue tunic to go over it as well as a layer of chainmail, his normal gloves, a matching blue cap, and the boots that doubled as flippers. There was also a gold headpiece that, when worn, would supply him with the needed air. But even with all that, it just wasn't right to him. He was being blindly led into the bottom of Lake Hylia to retrieve a dark relic that he hardly knew about by a little demon-like creature that bossed him around. It sure didn't sound like he had it all good for him, even though she was warming up to him.

Midna was growing more impatient by the second as he continued to ignore her and dawdle when time was running out. So she did the first thing that came to mind. She snuck out of his shadow and behind him. She then used all her strength to push his head under and make sure he couldn't get back up to the surface until he knew he could breathe.

She could hear him gasp as she pushed him under, and he used the air he had to hold it in as long as she held him there.

"Come on, stupid wolf. Breathe already! If you don't right now and drown, you're the one responsible for your death!"

She could feel him squirming and struggling under her weight, and could feel him slowly giving up, as he was too stubborn to give it a shot. She shook her head, but continued to hold him down. Finally, he gave up and prepared for a mouthful of water. But instead of water, the Zora Armor did it's job and allowed air to fill his lungs. When he felt the weight of the imp lessen, he looked up to see her above the water still, shaking her head as if to say "I told you so."

So they dove in, and it sure was deep! It took forever to make it down there, and they were lucky that they had brought water bombs with them, because the entrance was blocked off with boulders. They blew them up and headed in, despite the warning from one of the Zora guards about the place being infested with monsters, where they found a small room with a door that was blocked off by metal bars, and right by it was a lever, but that was guarded by numerous monsters. Link had to fight his way through in order to find his way to the lever, which he pulled as hard as he could, causing the door to open. He was still a little weak from that one fight. When they walked through, they found the largest room they had ever seen in a temple, with many levers, a few doors, one of which is locked, and stairs which could be rotated if the levers are pulled. They tried several times to pull the right one, which would open the path to a door on the far side of the room. They went through the door and found a smaller room, but still fairly large, and there was a treasure chest waiting for them on the other side. But it wasn't possible to get to it yet, as there was a geyser that erupted frequently that blocked it off, and it was too far to jump over there. He tried to go when it erupted, using the forced water as a sort of platform, but it backfired on him. Instead of doing what he wanted it to do, it just pushed him back. It was also hot water, unlike the rest of the liquid around them, and it burned his already hurt right arm. But what he had failed to realize at first was that there was, hanging over the geyser, a large stalactite which could be knocked down with enough force, so he took out his bow and arrows, attached a bomb to the end of it, and shot it straight up at it, causing it to fall.

In the treasure chest they found a small key, which could open the door that was locked in the other room. They headed back, found the right lever again, as he had memorized which lever went to that one, unlocked the door, and went through, and it was the most dangerous room thus far, as it was a giant seemingly bottomless pit with several tiny platforms that they had to use. Link hopped across, almost falling in the process, and made it to the door there as well, of which on the other side was a giant dried up water slide. He had to run all the way up there just to turn on the water. The mechanisms in the temple ran on water, and the monsters had dried everything they could up so that nobody would escape. But what they had forgotten to do was destroy all the mechanisms that reactivated the waterflow as well. So as long as they could make it to the top of the waterslide, they could turn on the power again. The thing is, everything in that temple seemed to be activated by levers, so this was especially easy for them to do.

They finally returned to the main room after turning on that part of the water system, and it raised the water level as well, so they could reach new places. One more level and they could reach the heart of the evil that was running the place. That's how it usually goes in the water temples of Hyrule. But there has always been one, it just evolved over the years.

"We're almost done. I can feel it. The sweet feeling of dark power grows ever stronger as we raise the water level. There should be one more of this kind of water source on the other side of the temple. Once we activate the water source there, we should be able to find the key to the creature's lair and get out of here. This time, I might be of use, as I was here before. Don't ask now how I got here before. Let's just worry about the future."

Water temples were always easy. They all felt the same, and half the time you don't see water anywhere. It's the same with Link and Midna in this temple. They don't see too much water, but that's just because it was dried up by the monsters. And it was as though they had seen that place before, other than Midna, who actually had.

"We're finally here. Just raise the water level and let's hurry to the lair of the dungeon's boss. The twilight that resides in here calls to me as we get closer."

Midna grabbed the far away lever and pulled on it, causing the water to rise once again. They could slide down the waterslide all the way to the bottom, which was pretty fun to do, where they could head to the mysterious force that emanated from the center of the temple, where they had passed many times but couldn't get into.

"Master, I calculate a 97% probability that the force emanating from the center of this vicinity is a far greater supernatural power than you have dealt with thus far." Link looked at Midna as if he had just heard an alien trying to talk to him. "Did I just say something? I think we should just…move on. We need to find the lair of the monster that is releasing all this evil in the temple."

He shook his head as if to tell her something's missing, and headed the opposite direction instead.

"What do you think you're doing? It's over here!"

He walked back into a previous room, where he had noticed another door they had not gone through yet. Midna saw where he was heading and tried to stop him.

"Oh, no. We're not going in there! You stop now and go back for my Fused Shadow!"

He paid her no mind as he walked through the door into a room with an underwater pathway. There were abnormally large jellyfish that roamed in there, part of the monster horde that made their way in there. He knew he had to be careful and swim by cautiously without being caught, but it was futile. Just as he was passing by two of them, one noticed him and electrified itself, as did the other when it saw. The currents of electricity both flowed right to Link, and he could feel the currents racing underneath his skin as he was being electrocuted, and it only made it worse that he was in the water. One of them stopped and knocked him back into a wall, forcing the gold headpiece right off him. He didn't realize until he tried to breathe. Instead of air, like he wished it was, he was filled to the brim with water. He tried to cough, but it only made it worse.

Midna looked at what was happening and started to freak out. She began screaming at him as she saw he was drowning.

"Come on, stupid wolf! Just swim up to the surface!"

He hadn't noticed her, and even if he could, he wouldn't have been able to swim up there before he was lost to her. Even with the weapons strapped on him and him being filled with nothing but water, he still began to rise to the surface, slowly but surely. She knew it wasn't enough, however, as it was far too slow for him to make it up to the surface by himself on time, so she did the first thing that came to mind. She came up under him and pushed him upward as hard as she could, cursing him under her breath all the while. Since she was just a shadow, she wouldn't drown like he did. But she could still interact with things when she chose to.

After a lot of struggle, she finally made him break the surface of the water, and she used all she had in her to carry him up to land and lay him on his back. She quickly looked him over and found what she had feared. The simple fact that he wasn't breathing. At this point she didn't know what to do, because she never dealt with anyone drowning before. She couldn't get any help, because they were at the bottom of Lake Hylia in an abandoned temple far from reach of normal humans. She paced back and forth, quickly running out of time. If she left him unconscious too long, he would die, yet there was nothing she could do.

She was glad, however, that her instincts kicked in at that moment. She turned him over and, using that giant hand of her's, slapped him repeatedly on the back, hoping to force the water out. He wasn't reacting. He was as cold as stone, his face entirely pale and his lips a dark shade of blue. She was running out of time, so she tried again, harder than she anticipated. There was still no reaction.

No matter how much she tried, nothing worked. Fearing the worst, she laid her ear on his chest and listened as hard as she could. And yet there was nothing.

He was completely lost to her.


	19. A Second Chance

She found nothing to say. There was simply nothing to say about this. She let her weightless form sink to the ground as tears spilled over relentlessly. He was dead and there was nothing she could do about it. How could she let something like this happen? She screamed such loud profanities to the goddesses that she was sure for a moment that everyone in Hyrule could hear it.

She felt so strongly for him...she didn't know why. He was her slave, nothing more, until now. She just wished that she helped him. How would she obtain the Fused Shadow now? How could she take down the very man who usurped her throne and cursed her? She was powerless against him, she couldn't stand up to him. Not without the power she once possessed. With just a wave of his hand he could kill her.

In all her anger for the goddesses, she was completely closed off from her surroundings. She knew nothing more than anger. When she finally composed herself, she looked back at Link once, then flew out of there. She decided to forever live within the shadows, nobody knowing of her existence.

Link was nothing more than a spirit, roaming about, unsure of where to go. He wanted to be back on Earth with Midna. He didn't want to go like this.

He saw a flash of the brightest light ever seen before. A single figure appeared before him, with a green aura encircling a human-like figure. Everything about her was green, right down to the eyes.

_It's good to see you again._

It was Farore the Green Goddess of Courage. He didn't know why she had come to him of all people. He didn't respond to what she said. He was too busy watching Midna wandering helplessly. She walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder, as she saw he was on all fours, just looking down.

_Why did you do it…_ Was all he could say.

_What do you mean?_

_You...killed me…_

_I never did that. You had drowned yourself. I simply observed._

_But Midna...she's…_

_She will be fine. I assure you that she will stay out of harm's way. She will hide in the shadows as the twilight consumes the land, but we can always start anew, right?_

He completely lost it at that point. He did something he thought could never be done, especially by him.

_Farore, you're heartless! Don't you see that Zant is going to destroy the world? Or are you still lost in some goddess forsaken dream land where everything will be perfect? How could you just stand by while the King of Darkness destroys everything you worked hard to create? How could you!_

When he was done ranting, he was left drained. Cursing a goddess, especially his own could really tire someone out.

_...I want to go back._

_But why? You could live happily, here with your parents. Why would you want to let that go now?_

_You don't want me to go back, do you?_

_No, I want you to be happy._ She knelt down beside him and smiled, but he avoided any eye contact whatsoever.

_I'm sorry, but… I won't be happy without knowing Midna is safe first. I have to go back, and ensure the safety of not only her, but all of the kingdom of Hyrule._

She sighed; she knew him well enough to understand that once he's made up his mind there was no convincing him otherwise.

_Then I will send you back to the realm of the living. Good luck, Link…_

Spirit Link closed his eyes as he was brought down from the place that was known as the Sacred Realm. The second he opened his eyes, he gasped and sputtered as he coughed up all the water, what looked like gallons to him. Barely aware of what happened, he shakily got to his feet, only to fall flat on his stomach. It felt nice to finally take in his first breath of air in hours, but it was also painful. For several moments all he did was lay there gasping for air. But he eventually found himself losing consciousness again. He tried to stay awake, but it was futile.

He found himself in dreamland for a week straight. He didn't know what drowning did to a person, so if he were awake he would've been surprised. He wasn't breathing as he should, as he still had a hard time with the simple task. He didn't know where Midna was at this point; the last place he saw her was in Lanayru province still, just wandering around near Zora's Domain. It was just...miserable.

Waking up was something he didn't want to do. He just wished he could remain in dreamland forever. It was nice to escape from reality, even if just for a short time. But it was becoming slowly more obvious that he still had to get the last Fused Shadow, even if Midna weren't here. After trying as hard as he could, he remembered where he was going before drowning. He did just that, still unclear as to what was going on. He didn't know where he was anymore, and he was almost afraid to go back in the water. Why was there so much water? Where in Hyrule was he? Finally, he dove in and swam the rest of the way to the end of the underwater path, where he found that it led to dry land on the other side. He gladly clambered up onto the land to dry off, but soon he found that the hole he came out of locked tight, as if it were a door. Things that looked like giant tadpoles fell from the ceiling. He was almost afraid to look up, but when he did, he found a larger, more disgusting tadpole-like creature. It glared down at him through tiny black eyes that looked like polished river stones. It plopped down onto the water covered land and let out what Link assumed was a roar of it's own.

He came to realize that the little creatures grew on it's back, and it flicked them off as if they were nothing more than flies, and called them to attack. They were fought off with ease, and he thought that was the only thing it would try to do. But of course he was wrong.

It jumped up back onto the stalactite it was on at first, and he thought it was retreating, until he saw that it was trying to fall on top of him. He rolled out of the way just in time and hacked away at it's weak point, the tongue. This repeated a few times more, at least three, and it looked as though it would never end. It jumped up onto the stalactite a fourth time, and this time, however, Link was too slow, and the thing fell right on top of him. It continued to push more weight on top of him with each passing minute. He was quickly giving up, as the realization that he couldn't escape crept in. He was lucky that his sword was pointing upward when the thing fell on top of him, because it didn't hold him down nearly as long as it wanted to. It jumped up and screeched until finally surrendering.

Link was completely disoriented for quite some time after that. It was hard to tell what was what for a while. Everything was just a mess of blurred colors swirling about. He thought he felt a gentle hand run down his face, but he wasn't entirely sure. He looked toward where he felt the hand, but couldn't discern anything. But it was a familiar hand he felt. The figure finally revealed itself to be Midna. He could recognize that Fused Shadow on her head anywhere. This was when he knew he would have to keep going. She would make him move on anyway. Midna saw him trying to get up and was quick to stop him.

"Don't worry, Link. I have the last Fused Shadow, so you just need to rest. And this time I mean it. Stay still."

He wanted to protest, but Midna held him down good. She wanted to take his mind off of trying to get up, so she began again.

"How did you survive? You had drowned, I saw you, and by the time I knew what to do...it was too late."

Remember that language they knew without talking? They had mastered telepathy together, so they could read one another's minds.

_I think it was...Farore. She sent me back...so I could find you._

"You met a goddess?" Midna's eyes suddenly flew wider than he had ever seen. He just nodded and was asleep. To Midna, it seemed as though he slept more than he was out saving the Hyruleans. But she knew where it all came from. He's been through more than any other person would in a hundred years, and he's done all this in one simple year.

He met Farore, the green goddess...it was still hard for her to believe. Sure, it was _his_ goddess, but why would she come to him? Perhaps it was just the fact that there was nobody else to save the world, and that they needed him.

He looked fine for the most part when she looked him over. With the exception of a few cuts and bruises. Until she saw his left leg. It was clear that he'd broken it while fighting. How he didn't notice she didn't know, but he would soon enough.


	20. In the Midst of My Desperate Hour

Waking him up after a day's passed wasn't easy for Midna. He was always a heavy sleeper, but this was _insane_, even for him. But it wasn't impossible. When he did come to, everything was still just a swirl of random colors, but it was starting to clear up, even if just a little.

"Link, I know that you're still hurt, and you even broke your leg, but we have to go. These Fused Shadows are all we need to take down Zant. I...I'm sorry for dragging you all over the place, but I had to do this, for my kingdom, for my people. In truth, I originally wanted to use you for my own wants and nothing more, but I needed you. Thank you...for putting up with me this whole time. It's finally almost over."

She created her usual portal, where he quickly stepped in, ignoring the pain in his leg, and she warped them out of there.

Back at the spring, someone was waiting for them, and when Midna and Link warped back, they found him, standing there calmly. Link found him an immediate threat, just by how he looked, but before he could do anything, a large blast came from nowhere, sending him flying backwards. The mysterious person took the light right out of the spirit and transformed the land back into twilight. Link, unconscious from the blast that came when the land transformed, turned back into his wolf form, and Midna came out of his shadow in a daze. When she regained her senses, she found out who it was.

"Zant!" Before Midna could finish, he immediately grabbed her by the throat and cast her aside.

"Yes, it's me, the King of Twilight. And I have come to say that you can't possibly beat me with such petty magic such as those Fused Shadows, so you and that pathetic wolf won't stand a chance. So I think I will just take those from you, and we'll be about even." He pulled Midna up next to him. She struggled to free herself as Zant took the Fused Shadows they worked so hard for away. "But… I will spare you if you do me one thing. If you join me, and resume your role as the evil Twilight Princess, our powers will intertwine, and we can finally take over this pathetic realm. Lend me your power Midna. Give me it, and we shall win this war!"

Midna broke free of his death grip. "You think I will give in to you, the one who overthrew me from the very throne that was inherited to me by legend? You think I would give in to someone like that, Zant? Well, in that case, you're dead wrong!"

Wolf Link woke up temporarily, and through his muddled hearing, he could just make out the words "Twilight Princess" before once again losing consciousness.

"I thought you'd say that. Really, you don't surprise me. I remember what you said when we were in the Twilight Realm together, that you wouldn't let me rule, so that treat I gave you back there, it comes in a package of two." With his death grip once again on Midna, Zant held her against her will over the spring, giving the light back to the spirit, and as it came back out in full power, it caused Midna to burn up and dissipate into the air, along with Wolf Link, who mysteriously disappeared.

When he realized what he had just done, Lanayru warped Link and Midna back to Hyrule Field, where he remained in wolf form, and Midna lay atop his back, dying.

"Link, hero chosen by the goddesses… go to the princess locked away in the castle… That princess holds the key that will unlock you from your shadow form…" Lanayru called to him from the spring. He heard Midna starting to speak to an anonymous person, not him this time. But when she started to sing, she was obviously singing to him.

"In the midst of my desperate hour, you shall hear my lament of death.

_Lost within the shadows of night,_

_thunder roars, thunder cries._

_Wounded by a great spirit's light…_

_Lightning fills the skies…_

_Link…_

_In this desperate hour, I will die…_

_Guide me through the storm and the rain._

_I am weak, I am cold…_

_Save me from my wounds, from my pain…_

_Riddles will unfold…_

_I can hear her calling, rain keeps falling…_

_Hurry, no time to waste…_

_Blood will flow…_

_I am weak, so make haste,_

_only she can know…_

_I have no tears left in my eyes…_

_I'm not brave, I have fear…_

_I am sorry for all my lies…_

_We are getting near…_

_Link…_

_In this desperate hour, I will die…_

_In the distance, I see a light…_

_We are close, almost there…_

_Through the darkness, through endless night,_

_shadows everywhere…_

_I can hear her calling, rain keeps falling…_

_Hurry, no time to waste…_

_Blood will flow…_

_I am weak, so make haste,_

_only she can know…"_

The words of the song rather depressed Link instead of encouraging him, but he hurried nevertheless.

Zelda was only a short distance away, so it wasn't hard to find her trapped in her room in the tallest tower of the castle. But it was raining, as the lament said, and it was so windy it might as well have been a tornado. They were constantly blown off course as Link was jumping wall to wall in more of a hurry than ever. Zelda was waiting for them, to be sure, and he could tell because he saw her looking down at them. Several times, he was nearly blown off the buildings, just as he almost did the last time he did this, when he first met Midna.

He made it to Zelda in no time, and Midna fell off his back as they entered the room. Zelda stood there with her hand closed around Midna's.

"Z…Zelda, tell him…how to break this curse. This is the one…you need him, to save your world. That is why, please, you must help him." Midna gasped between words.

Zelda closed her eyes and felt around Link's fur until she felt his head, the Crest of the Triforce of Wisdom shining as she did so.

"There is a different evil that surrounds him than when he first passed through the Curtain of Twilight. It is an evil power. Link, you must head for the Sacred Grove, where the Master Sword, the Blade of Evil's Bane, is hidden. It is the only thing that can free you of this curse at this point. But I fear that a great evil has drained some of it's power, but if you go now, it may still help you."

"Fine… Link, you can…get there on your own, right? Princess…I have one last request. Can you tell him…where to find the Mirror of Twilight?"

Zelda gasped when she heard this. There was a long pause. For several moments, both Link and Zelda stared at Midna. Finally, Zelda broke the silence.

"Midna… I believe I finally know just who and what you are. Despite your mortal injuries, you act in our stead. These dark times are a result of our deeds, yet it is you who reaped the penalty. Accept this now, Midna, I pass it to you…" At those final words, Zelda started to glow with a sacred light, the light of the Triforce of Wisdom, and Midna started to hover. Realizing what was happening, she yelled to Link. "No! Link! _Stop her_!" He simply stood there and watched as Zelda was transferring her soul into Midna, their powers intertwining. She was healed, but Zelda was gone. She had given her life for her to live. Midna stood there next to Link as she looked over and couldn't find Princess Zelda. She looked down on the stone floor for a moment before finally making the same decision.

"We must go, Link. Back to Faron Woods!" She hopped on his back, and as they were leaving she looked one last time where Zelda was before she died, and said, "Zelda… I've taken all you had to offer, though I didn't want it…"

When they were outside Hyrule Castle, they turned around one last time, at the castle, and they saw a large barrier formed around it as they left. They knew they couldn't do anything, so they left for the woods, where the Sacred Grove was hidden. But what did Zelda mean by the Master Sword's power being drained by a great evil?

Using Midna's warping ability, they instantly warped back to Faron Woods, and they could still see the barrier that may be there forever. They would see it no matter where they went, for Hyrule Castle could be seen from all regions of Hyrule. They jumped across the platforms that were scattered through the gorge that blocked off to the Sacred Grove from outsiders. It was guarded by many monsters, all natural inhabitants of the place. They vowed to protect the Master Sword from anybody since the beginning of time. Through the years, they have evolved into bigger beasts, and they knew that the Hero of Time would appear as a divine beast, according to ancient legend. They were bound by vow to test the hero to see if he truly was worthy of the sacred sword.

They were not easy, because they had thousands of years to practice, which meant at least fifteen eras to prepare for their arrival. But a nameless evil had surpassed them long ago, and was slowly draining the power from the sword, lessening it's capabilities. It is no longer at it's full might, and it may never be again.

It took a while, but they were at least partway into the Sacred Grove, and they were lost. That must be the reason it was once called the Lost Woods. Those who entered normally never returned. Midna had heard of something called the Guardians' Puzzle, but she never really knew what it was. Something about standing, but she was never here before, she didn't think. The place had an eerie resemblance to the Nayru Forest, and there was something else about it that she didn't understand, as if she had actually been here before, similar to the Lakebed Temple, but different.

"Well, we're lost. Doesn't surprise me, because it was called the Lost Woods. It's a surprise though that the name changed since the Era of the Hero of Time to the Sacred Grove. Let's just hope that we make it through here alive. It can't be far now, I can feel the pure light of the sword growing stronger, but weaker at the same time. I don't know what's going on, but we should hurry, because I think it's power is really being drained. Let's look for some clues as to where we are."

Around the Sacred Grove were several statues that could serve as markers. Each one looked different and had a different color gemstone in each one. There were four total. Green was the first one, red was the second one, blue was the third one, and purple was the fourth one. Each one also had the sign of the Triforce in them, just above the gemstone, with one of them highlighted in gold. Green had the one on the bottom right, red had the one on the top, blue had the one on the lower left, and purple, strange thing is, had the one in the middle, which shouldn't have any meaning to it. But if it's highlighted, it must mean something. But they couldn't think about that now. They had reached two identical stone statues on either side of a large door that was sealed shut. The statues seemed alive, and as they got a closer look at them, they noticed a large Triforce symbol in the middle, and Link had gotten the sudden instinct to howl. He also somehow knew which song to howl at that spot: Zelda's Lullaby. He howled the tune to the song, which was to this.

_The hero_

_of Ancient Legend_

_will come to save us from danger._

_he will pull_

_the Master Sword and_

_travel seven years in time…_

_I've waited seven years,_

_trapped in a sheik disguise,_

_there to teach Link the skills he needed…_

_The Hero,_

_bearing the Triforce,_

_will come to save us from danger._

_With Power,_

_Wisdom and Courage,_

_he will slay evil…_

_With the power of Time,_

_he will defeat Ganon,_

_and restore Hyrule to it's peace…_

Suddenly the world went black. The statues that were once frozen in place came to life. Platforms started to appear in the shape of a heart, two of them looked different from the others.

"Hero chosen by the goddesses… Guide us back to where we once stood… Only then will you be able to enter the true Sacred Grove…" One of the statues said to Link.

Midna broke in without warning. "Wait! So you mean to say that we weren't in the Sacred Grove the whole time? You mean the Lost Woods are still here?"

"Yes… The two tiles that look different are the ones you have to guide us to… If you lose track, call us… We can reset you back to the start… One of us will move in your direction…the other will move opposite."

"Link, I think I can guide you on the right path." Midna whispered to him. "I will point you in the right direction, or my prediction of the right path. Just follow my lead and we should get through this."

He followed Midna's lead, as she told him to do, and they were lost several times and had to reset themselves, and this was irritating. If they couldn't get there on time…

"Alright, this has to be the right path! I mean, we've tried every other path possible, and they are just confusing to me. Every twist and turn we made so far didn't feel right, and it wasn't right. This is the only path available to us right now, so let's try it."

Once again, Midna pointed in all sorts of directions, and to her, this one felt right. They went to the far left and started up until the next turn, which they turned left, due to the heart shape of the puzzle. They went all the way up until they had to turn right, and moved to the dead end and started down again. They then turned right again and down just before the wall, and moving back to their original spot, essentially moving in a giant circle. It seemed to work, for the two giants were back in their original spots, and the door before them opened.

"Go now, blue-eyed beast… We yield passage to the Sacred Grove…"

Upon entering the place, all they found was the Master Sword in the Pedestal of Time, surrounded by thick fog. Under the fog was a message for Link.

_To the supposed "Hero of Time",_

_This is your last chance to give up, for I've drained much of it's power and infused it to my own. If you don't bow down to me in my new castle, you will die. The Master Sword will no longer be such a threat to me. It can't kill me or separate me from my Triforce and you know it!_

_-King of Darkness_

"So it's true. The Master Sword's power has been drained, but I understand that you have the Triforce of Courage and Zelda has the Triforce of Wisdom, but who has the Triforce of Power? I know for a fact that Zant doesn't have it, or he would have killed me, and we would have never met, which means you would probably be dead as well, due to the fact that I found you chained up in a prison cell in the castle sewers. You would have been left there to die if it hadn't been for me. So if Zant doesn't have it, who does?" There was a long pause as Midna thought, and Link went ahead to see what he could do with a sword he couldn't use. But as he got close enough to it to where he could see a message on it, it started to glow, as brightly as his hand had when he was pulled through the Curtain of Twilight for the first time. It released a large blast, blowing both of them back. Link tried to withstand the force pulling against him, and he suddenly felt cooler, as all the wolf fur was lifted from him, and he returned to his true form. The embodiment of the curse reformed itself into a Shadow Crystal, and Midna was the only one who could hold it safely.

The Master Sword slipped out of it's place in the Pedestal of Time, and the power it had left retracted into itself. It allowed Link to hold it, and him only. Midna saw the awesome sight. The hero and his sacred weapon reunited once more, in a new era, a new timeline. "The sword accepted you as it's master…again." He felt a new power surging through him, and as he lifted the sword skyward, it released one more blast, strong enough to blow back all of the fog. He was finally able to read the inscription on it: _May the four great goddesses be with the Hero of Time always, through the toughest of battles, and may the Spirit Maiden descend from the sky in the great radiance of Hylia. _They had yet to understand what the meaning of the words were. What did all of this mean? And what about the so called "Spirit Maiden?"

"Link. This is the embodiment of the curse that Zant had cast upon you. It is a far different magic than ever before seen in my tribe. But you must be careful. Just because it's in my hand, doesn't mean it can't transform you if you touch it. But I think we can find a good use for this kind of thing. Now you can transform at your leisure and convenience, and it can serve us well, because the 'fourth goddess' wouldn't have given us this for nothing. But let's not worry about that now, because I have a favor to ask of you. Do you think you can help me find something called the Mirror of Twilight? It's the only known connection between us and the Twilight Realm. It will lead us directly to Zant, and we must take him down. Please, help me find the Mirror of Twilight."

At the same time that Link had pulled the Master Sword out of it's place, Zelda's spirit was watching over them. It was truly a remarkable sight! Never in any era had she ever experienced anything like that. She wept a single tear, which dissolved into the air almost immediately. And Midna was right there with him, acting much nicer than when she first saw her riding atop his back so long ago, over a year ago now. _Things change, and I guess I will as well…_

Link heard the voice of Spirit Zelda, and looked up to the sky, but saw nothing.


	21. Broken

"Alright, Link. It's time to get you to Kakariko Village. You have a broken leg to take care of."

In truth, he had completely forgotten about his leg in the midst of Midna dying. He nodded weakly, the exhaustion of drowning finally catching up to him.

Midna took the chance to use their newly acquired Shadow Crystal to transform him and warp him to the old village. She was able to leave him right outside the inn, as nobody was outside at this time. But even though she left him right by the door, he couldn't even take a single step before collapsing. She leapt out of his shadow when she saw what happened.

"Link? Are you okay?" She asked, hovering close to his face.

He gave no response.

Thankfully, all she had to do was knock on the door and hide in his shadow before someone came out. She did so, and it was Renado who answered. He looked around and didn't see anyone, but just as he was about to close the door, Midna spoke up.

"Uh, down here…"

He immediately caught sight of Midna once again hovering by Link's face, her hand on his cheek as she spoke. "He...almost drowned while we were in the temple at the bottom of Lake Hylia. And he, uh, broke his leg."

"Couldn't you have at least seen to it that he get here sooner? His leg could be permanently broken for all I know."

"Well, sometimes we just can't make it back right away. Like I said, we were at the bottom of Lake Hylia, and he can barely stand with one leg, so how do you think he would swim?"

"Hmm…" was all he said before taking the hero into his arms, as he'd grown accustomed to by now. She could see he was awake and trying to protest against being carried, but was too weak and tired to. Renado saw, too, and began to speak calmly to him. She couldn't tell what he was saying, but it seemed to calm him down a bit.

He laid him down on the bed once again and got to work. He first had to replace the bandages he had applied before getting to work on his broken limb. Despite barely having any feeling whatsoever, he could still feel Renado feeling the bone of his leg, and he groaned uncontrollably.

"You are very lucky, Link. Your leg doesn't seem to be permanently broken, but it will still be weak for a while after it mends. It should be about five weeks or so before you can walk again. Until then, you have to stay put." He stated flatly as he began bandaging his leg.

The other kids had walked in at that point to see what was going on, and needless to say they were surprised to see their brother-figure look so beat up. Link couldn't decipher the different voices before he was out.

"Kids, let him rest for now. He's been through a lot lately, with a broken leg and all."

They all gasped in unison when they heard the last part, except for Malo, who didn't care about many things. Instead, he went to bed, as did the others, as the sun had set only a short time ago.

Link woke up in the middle of the night, and barely remembered what Renado had said only hours before. He glanced around and saw nobody, until he suddenly saw the shaman at the bedside. His heart nearly leapt out of his chest from the shock. After he regained his composure, he looked back at him.

"I just came in to check on you. Not only was your leg broken, but it seems as though you were crushed by some brute force. It may be a little hard to breathe for a while, but other than that a cracked rib is the largest internal issue. That should heal in due time."

He forgot about the broken leg almost immediately after he said that, and tried to get up. He was too tired to think straight, so he figured a little walk would help.

"Stop trying to get up. It's no use." He placed a hand on his chest to ease him back down. They both remember the last time he had to do that, only a short time ago after he had taken down the patriarch of the Gorons. But instead of laying back down like last time, he still continued to struggle. That was when he used his full force, more than he anticipated, to push him back down. Since he was already weakened, it knocked the wind out of him, and right after he was yanked back into unconsciousness. Midna gave Renado a menacing stare.

"I didn't mean to be that forceful with him, Midna. He just wasn't listening to me."

"He feels as though he is being driven blindly by a hideous imp. Of course he would want to get things done right then and there just to be done with the whole thing, so you can't blame him for fighting. Besides, who _would_ want to be around someone like me anyway?"

He said nothing, but returned to his own chamber to sleep. That left only Midna with Link. She curled up beside him and fell fast asleep, not caring if anyone saw the next morning.

"Mr. Renado, when will he wake up?" Ilia asked as she caught sight of Link still fast asleep the next morning.

"Don't worry. I'm sure he will wake up by tomorrow. He's just exhausted and needs his rest."

"But I have so much to ask him, and I don't want to wait."

"Well, you don't have a choice."

Only soon after they left did he begin to stir. He looked around him and saw nobody. He then looked behind him, as he felt a warmth there, and found Midna sleeping beside him. He thought it was the cutest thing he'd ever seen, for it was the first time he'd ever seen her sleeping. It was just too adorable, and he couldn't help but laugh.

But soon exhaustion got the best of him again, and he fell back to sleep. But he didn't know what was about to happen.

In the depths of his unconsciousness, he could hear the terrified screams of the children, startling him awake. He saw Colin at his bedside, and it looked like he was about to wake him up.

"Link, you have to hurry! There are giant monsters outside!"

With those words, he practically leapt out of bed, ignoring his injured leg, and grabbed only his sword before running downstairs and outside. Renado saw him, but surprisingly didn't object to him fighting, as he knew him well enough by now to realize that he wouldn't give up without a fight. So he let him do just that. But he couldn't help but admire how strong he was to run with a broken leg. Either he is just pushing through it or he doesn't notice. Either one is amazing to him.

What Colin said was true. There were hundreds of them, all at least three times Link's size or more. The Gorons were doing their best to fend them off, but not all of them would give up that easily. That was when Link jumped in, figuratively, and hacked away at the enemy. Right away he was shot with arrows. He was never good at dodging projectiles, and a broken leg made him worse, just a little. One even shot him in the neck, and it didn't pierce him all the way. Renado saw him being stuck with arrows like a pincushion, and as much as he wanted to help he could not fight. He was successful in driving off some and killing the others, but one had gone unnoticed, and as he was about to walk back in the inn, it swung it's own weapon at his back. It was a cleaver the beast used, sharper than any other. He stifled the scream that came after and lobbed it's head off.

Renado and the kids were all hiding in another room, so Link slipped by without being noticed. He practically crawled up the stairs and into his room. He didn't want the others to worry about him, so he didn't tell them he got hurt again. Even Midna was uncharacteristically scared and hiding with the others, so she didn't know until she picked up his quick heartbeat. Too quick, she thought, as she followed him.

She caught sight of him lying down on the bed, seeming to be in pain. Although he hid it well, she could see right through him, and hear, as his pulse was quickening, along with is breath. His eyes were closed, so he didn't notice Midna examining him more closely. She didn't see any damage up front, save for the ones he already had and the arrows, but when he turned on his side, she could see easily. He must've not noticed that it had started to bleed. He was going through too much, Midna thought as she flew downstairs to get Renado.


	22. Weakened by Despair

It was at least a week before Link's senses finally returned to him one by one until he was fully awake. Nobody was around. Not even Midna, who was always in his shadow ready to tease him. No, the place was empty. He tried standing, and nearly fell onto the floor along the way. He got himself together just in time and walked out of the room and downstairs. Nobody was there, either. Maybe they were outside?

He limped outside to look around him, he even looked in the sanctuary, the secondary place everyone would gather. Nobody. The entire place was deserted. Even the Gorons who came down from Death Mountain to help guard the village were gone. Where would they go at this time? He tried to call Epona with the song she loved so much, only to find nothing but the wind answering him. It was a darker day than usual, and the wind picked up more and more until he could barely keep his feet on the ground. He now knew what was going on. A tornado was heading this way. But then he couldn't help but wonder why Renado or anyone wouldn't at least try to wake him up or carry him to wherever they were going to escape.

At last he could see the twister forming from the clouds and descending not too far away. He tried to run away to find a safe place to take shelter, but where was there to go other than the old dilapidated buildings that offer no protection?

The tornado had touched the ground and was approaching fast toward him. He tried to run into the graveyard and into that tunnel to Rutela's spring, because if he knew one thing about wind, it was that it couldn't go through a cliff. He made his way there with haste, only to be caught in the ferocious winds and carried high up into the air. All he could do was scream as he was taken hundreds of feet upward, and still further. The height did not help, either, as he probably would never get over that fear. He expected his bandages to come clean off, but no such thing occurred. He had realized that he wasn't in any, and that made him wonder even more, even through the tornado. Why would Renado just let him bleed out?

Just when he thought it was already bad enough for him to be caught up in a twister, he was unexpectedly flung miles away from where he was, far off to some place unknown. Before he could discern where he was, his world went black.

He woke up in a small chamber, somewhere he didn't know. He thought it was all a bad dream, what had happened, until the pain hit. He doubled over uncontrollably and groaned as a small amount of blood trailed from his mouth onto the blanket that covered him. He saw a man with his back to him, just standing there at the foot of the bed.

"I knew you would come. Link, is it?" The man turned around to face him. "I knew it. The Hero of Time, as I and others would assume, judging by the green tunic you wear, and the Master Sword and Hylian Shield you have had strapped to your back there. It is the greatest honor to finally meet you, Master Link."

Link blinked in confusion as he looked up into the older man's face.

"I can see you are confused. Well, a tornado had hit this place only a short two days ago, and afterwards I went out to investigate the damage, and I find you floating out in the middle of Lake Hylia. So I brought you back here, to my home. Bet you didn't know old Auru lived by the lake, huh?"

His vision was still a little hazy, so at first he had not recognized the man until he said his name. Auru was a member of Telma's group, the Resistance. Their main goal is to prevent evil from invading Castle Town. He was happy to see him, until that happiness turned to depression. He never found his old friends. He had been separated from them against his will, and now he was quickly losing hope in ever seeing them again, especially Midna.

"I just had a feeling you were the hero, just by appearance alone. Am I right in my assumption? Or are you just parading around in a replica of the hero's garb and wearing a fake Master Sword and Hylian Shield?"

He shook his head to say he was real.

"Then I need your help. Tell me, have you ever heard of the prison in the great Gerudo Desert? No? Well, it is a prison where the worst of criminals went, and were sent through a mystical mirror to an alternate realm, which some people came to know as the Twilight Realm, and the mirror is known as the Mirror of Twilight, I believe. When you feel up to it, take this to the man down at the coast of the lake, it is basically a little favor that asks of him to take you to the desert. Nobody can get there by themselves unless that portal over there is over the desert and if you had the fabled Twilight Princess with you, but what are the chances of that? But for now, just sleep. You have a long day of traveling soon. Just go when you're up to it, alright?"

Without Midna, he would never feel up to it. His leg was still broken, never given the chance to heal, and he still had all the previous injuries, even the one from the Deku Baba and the spider back in the Forest Temple. From the corner of his eye, Auru could see that Link was trying not to cry as he thought of his friend being gone forever. As if that was his cue, he instinctively placed a hand on his shoulder and began to speak softly.

"There's no need to cry, Link. Just tell me what's wrong and I'm sure we can fix it."

Using the language they knew to speak to each other in, Link began to explain everything that had happened, even telling him about Midna. He followed along as best he could, but was still lost on the Midna part.

"...I see. Don't worry, I'm sure you can find them again. And this 'Midna'... She sounds like...never mind. But it's not healthy to bottle up all that emotion, you know, especially if you've held it in for a year now."

He could hold it back no longer. He burst into tears as he couldn't control himself. It was uncharacteristic of him to be like this, but he knew it was for the better that he did. Auru left him to himself, as he figured it would be best if he were alone, for he understood that in times like this it was best to say nothing, as words don't help much. And he had finally, after an hour, cried himself to sleep. Auru had come back in when he heard him stop, and caught sight of him, even in the darkness. When he walked up to him, he noticed that his body was still trembling, as if he were still awake. He heard of crying to sleep, but crying _in_ his sleep? Never. Must've had some good friends he lost if he's acting like that.

He slept straight through the next few days, Auru worried for him the whole time. He just looked so..._broken._ It wasn't often that he would show any strong emotions, and when he did it was for a good reason. He never even cried over physical pain. The worst that he ever did about it was a yelp, but that was about as bad as it got. He had never even truly recovered from drowning back in the Lakebed Temple. He still retained a pale color to his skin, and his lips were a light shade of blue. Definitely better than before, but it wasn't good enough. Midna would've agreed just the same. No matter how much he tried to hide it, he could tell that he was shivering, even with the blanket. That, he knew, was just one of the many effects it had on him.

He left Link's side for only a moment, just to grab extra blankets. He carefully placed one after the other on top of him so as to warm him. When Auru set a hand on his forehead, it felt like touching an icicle. And for the next two days, he only got worse. As if it weren't possible for him to be any colder, that was achieved. Auru didn't see anything he could do for him except to take him to that doctor in Castle Town. With what happened to Renado, there was no other choice.

He hurriedly took him into his arms and carried him out through the door that led to Hyrule Field, where his horse was waiting. Wherever Epona was, she was probably with the others. Auru's horse was a deep black, it's tail tipped in orange with amber eyes. It was a clydesdale, similar to Epona. He placed him just in front of the saddle while he rode down to the busy town, ensuring that Link wouldn't slip and fall off along the way.

Only at one point along the way did he stop, and that was when he thought he was waking up. He did lift his head slightly, but couldn't keep it up, and was out again. He didn't know why the hero was this way, for the only thing that would cause it was drowning, and even that was a while ago. Maybe it was the tornado, but he didn't seem to have taken any damage from that, save for the slight internal bleeding. Either way, it wouldn't be enough to weaken him so.

He traveled straight through the night, not stopping for anything. This steed wasn't nearly as fast as Epona, but it was good as it would get. They still made great time, as only the night passed before the full extent of Hyrule Castle came into view. He picked up the pace to full speed when this came, and in no time he saw the gates of the town.

Auru stopped his horse right at the entrance and once again took the hero into his arms before rushing inside. Thankfully, the doctor's office is right at the gate, so he didn't have to go far. When he practically kicked the door down, the first thing he noticed was that there were no patients there, as usual. Doctor Borville nearly leapt out of his place and ran to them, eager to make more money. When he saw who was in need, he turned his back on them.

"I won't help that greedy kid." He stated simply without a second's thought.

"What do you mean _greedy?_"

"Last time he was here I took care of him, and he didn't pay me due charge for everything. He's just a greedy little 'hero' who parades around in a tunic with a fancy sword claiming to be the saviour of Hyrule. He's just a bother like everyone else, and I don't have time for bothers." He finished with a wave of his hand and began to walk away.

"Then it looks like you don't have time for yourself."

The old man turned around at that thought, obvious anger in his huge eyes. "What are you saying?"

"What I'm saying is that you're the greedy one here. All you care about is the money you're paid, and you don't even take into consideration that people here are poor. And you say you don't have time for bothers, but you think of everyone as bothersome. That is why you don't have any patients who come to you, why they just go to Renado in Kakariko Village, other than the fact that you're a self absorbed midget who has lived a secluded life far from others. So are you going to suck it up and help Link or not!"

"You're quite the comedian, Auru. I know you quite well enough to say no. Now get out!"

"Not until I see that Link will be okay."

"Oh, please…" He dismissed the last comment. "Last time he was here he was just exhausted. I'm sure that's what is happening now."

"Does _this_ really look like the face of an exhausted person to you?"

The old man sighed and pushed his thick glasses up the bridge of his nose before adding "How long has he been like this?"

"About five days now, including the day I found him."

When Borville walked away, shaking his head, Auru took it upon himself to lay Link down in one of the beds and look him over. He wasn't any better than yesterday, and he was still declining. Borville returned only moments later. He ran two fingers along his neck, examining for a pulse, before reporting "Too slow. This isn't normal. What do you think happened before this?"

He thought on that for a moment until he remembered. "Well, he drowned only days ago, but I thought he would've moved on from that by now. At least, I don't know, two weeks ago?"

"If he drowned he would be dead."

"I think the goddesses were with him on that one."

"If the goddesses helped him survive, why couldn't they help me make more money a while ago?"

"Probably because he's the chosen Hero of Time, and you're just a normal human like the rest." He teased.

He ignored Auru's joke and continued with the previous subject. "He is having difficulty breathing, and it will probably be that way for a while. He's still freezing for whatever reason, and he has some internal bleeding. As long as it stays at a minimum, it shouldn't be much a problem. I suspect he should be asleep a while longer, so he will have to stay here until then, as long as you pay me fifty rupees a day."

"Fine, but just remember that you still owe Telma for...you know what. Consider the payment part of your debt."

"I know! You don't have to remind me of it every time you pay me. I mean, I'm trying my best to earn enough money, but for Din's sake she wants so much!"


	23. Fear

The doctor's prediction was correct. Link slept quite a while, a couple more days. Blankets were piled high on top of him to help, and they both noticed that his constant shivering had diminished a bit throughout the few days. By the dawn of the fourth day, it had gone entirely, so they removed the extra blankets, leaving only one for him. He was still far from well, but it was nice to know he was finally warm. However, when the quilts were removed, he started shivering again, so they left them on.

Color had begun to return to him, so he didn't look as ghostlike anymore. He did wake up a couple of times, but every time he opened his eyes the world spun around, and he had to sleep again in order to get rid of the spinning. Auru, though he also saw the slight improvement, feared for him. The fear for the worst didn't subside until he finally awakened in the middle of the night. He was finally able to see straight, but was still weak. He was immediately met with the cracked voice of the old doctor.

"So you're awake. I'm sure that you can pay me this time for the trouble in taking _such_ good care of you."

All Link did was stare at him blankly for countless minutes. He resisted the urge to sleep again, as he had to figure out how to answer this man. The man didn't know telepathy like Link and all his friends and family did, so he couldn't use that.

"He will pay you eventually, Borville. You should stop being so self centered and actually consider caring for the hero. All of the people, actually."

"I told you before and I'll tell you again, I just want to be paid, and there is nothing you can do about that. Besides, this kid isn't the hero anyway. I said only days ago that he is just some clown dressed like him with a fake Master Sword. He just goes around doing a few good deeds like taking the Zora to Kakariko to make himself look heroic, when I'm the only one who sees the truth. This one is just a fraud."

"My, my, how smart you are…"

They both turned in surprise toward Link, who had a more unusual look about him.

"Did you just...talk? Link, can you actually speak?"

"I can't believe you didn't figure it out yet."

"Figure what out?"

He smirked. "Borville is right. I am no hero."

"Come on, Link. Don't say that. You just need to-"

"Shut up!"

The sudden outburst sent them both back. Now that Auru thought about it, his voice did sound a little different than usual.

"Do you want to know why I'm not a hero?"

"I almost don't."

"It's not because of the half right stereotype given to me about me breaking into peoples' houses and breaking their stuff and stealing their money. It's not about the stereotype that says I can't kill a chicken with a sword, but I can kill a dragon with ease. No, my friend, it's because the goddesses never made me one. They sealed me away for a thousand years or more, and forgot all about me while this 'hero' was running around Hyrule killing off the Demon King's minions."

"Link, what has gotten into you?"

"All I'm saying is that I'm not Link at all! Didn't you notice the voice difference?"

"Then...who _are_ you?"

"Don't you notice the voice as that of Twilight Link?"

With that, everything about Link changed entirely. He was no longer the slightly tanned hero they knew. He was now dark as night, with gray hair and deep crimson eyes. His tunic, sword, and shield were also of the same colors.

"Well, should we get this started?" He brandished his dark blade in an attempt to scare them off. Auru had his hand ready at the hilt of his own, but couldn't bring it upon himself to fight his childhood-no, his _lifelong_-hero. Borville watched the scene rather calmly, as if this happened every day. So Twilight Link took the initiative of starting the fight with a wide swing of his own. When Auru still didn't fight, he thought he had just given up, so he went in for an early finisher.

Auru was waiting for that moment when Twilight would leave himself open. He quickly unsheathed his blade and held it out in front of him, so that the shadow creature would impale itself on it. And it actually worked. He didn't think that Twilight Link expected much from him, because he didn't put up a fight after that. He smiled and hung his head. Not in surrender, but happiness that the damage was done.

Before anyone knew what happened, Twilight Link disappeared, and Link took his place again. He looked up into the older man's eyes as if to apologize, until the pain hit. He looked down and saw that there was a blade sticking right out of him, Auru's hand still firmly gripping it. His entire body went limp, sliding right off the steel and onto the floor beneath him. Auru looked down at his sword, now wet with his hero's blood, then at the hero himself with utter disbelief in his eyes.

He was quick to rush to his side, and was also quick to see that he, thankfully, wasn't dead, but was nearing it fast. He could feel the boy's panicked heart pounding what felt like two hundred times a minute. At this point Auru didn't know what to do for him. He had basically killed him. All he could do was stare, as nothing was more horrifying to him than this. He hurriedly picked him up into his strong arms and set him on the bed. He began to unstrap his weapons to get his tunic off so he could work. Everyone knew that Borville was of no use in this sort of case, so it was always left up to others, like now. But the old man did help in giving him the bandages needed, thinking Auru could do it himself. It is safe to say that it wasn't the neatest, but it should help if they aren't too late.

Once in a while, they heard him mumble something they couldn't identify as words. Just when they thought he was on his way to recovery, that had to happen to him. But none of them in there knew who Twilight Link really was, so this was a completely random occasion.

As the days passed, he continued to decline, Auru fearing for his life the entire time. If he didn't survive this, he would never forgive himself. The events played over and over again in his mind, unable to erase the memory. If the hero died, there would be nobody to save Hyrule, and the darkness will ultimately destroy everything. There were several instances where he was thought to have died, but didn't. But no matter what they tried, that day did come. Auru expected him to surprise him again, but when he didn't, he didn't know what to do. He didn't overreact like expected. Instead he fell completely silent. He would just stand there at Link's side and stare down at his lifeless face. No matter how much the doctor tried to take his body away to get rid of it, Auru always stopped him.

_Welcome to our Sacred Realm, Link…_

This time, he was met with Din, the Goddess of Power. She looked more stern, yet kind. Her clothing was a tight red dress with gold bracelets and necklace. Red flame like tassels hung from the dress, and she wore red sandals. Her hair was a fiery pink and wound all around her, dangling past her feet, as she was hovering high above him. Being the most powerful of them all, Link instinctively dropped to his knees and hung his head in her presence.

_Come, now. You have no need to bow before me. Now stand and face me._

_You...brought me here again._

_And do you know why?_

He avoided her red eyed gaze. _Because I died again. I know I'm too careless...but I try._

_Who said you don't try? But that is not why I brought you here. I did so because you came far too close with Twilight Link._

_But who is he?_

_I am sure you recall the legends, when we created the world. Twilight Link is your evil spirit, who roamed the land since the beginning of time. He obtained our great power and caused the first War of Twilight. For revenge for us taking the power, he searches for you, his other half, in hopes of once again gaining the great power. You have to be careful, or he will take you. Now go back, hero. I know our union was short but you have to go back now, or you'll drift too far past saving._

That was the last thing he heard from her before waking up back on Earth. He turned his head and found nobody by him. He slowly got into a seated position, as it was almost too much of a task for him. When catching his breath, he stood up and looked around for anyone. He felt a draft, and when he looked down he saw that he was wearing nothing but the beige tights. His upper half was tightly, but crudely, wrapped in bandages. At least the others weren't too far from where he was. When Auru caught sight of him, his jaw hit the floor.

"Link? You're alive?" He ran to the hero, but when he saw the still bloody sword he held, he backed into a wall, trying to get away.

_Stay back! I have a sword and am not afraid to use it!_

When standing became too much, he fell to the floor, flat against the wall, as he looked up into Auru's eyes.

"Link, I hadn't known it was you at the time. Just calm down."

What used to be anger completely melted into fear. He closed his eyes and raised his forearm to shield his face.

_Don't...don't hurt me!_

Then Auru saw that he was still holding his blade. He dropped it, knelt down in front of him, and placed both of his hands on his shoulders. He slowly lowered his guard when he felt the older man's touch, but his body still trembled in fear, and his eyes laden with tears. He had never been more afraid of anything in his life. The fear dripped off of every telepathic word.

"You don't have to be afraid of me, Link. You had been possessed, so I took action, thinking it was someone else. Just calm down and let me help you."

He lowered his guard just a little bit more, enough so Auru could fully see his terrified face. He looked so helpless, the look on his face emphasizing it. The older of the two set a hand under his chin and raised it so he would look directly at him. His smile was warm and welcoming, yet Link did not budge.

Auru tried again to calm him, to let him know that he wasn't a threat. He lifted him up off the floor and helped him put his clothes on, but that didn't help. He broke free of his grip and ran out the door, leaving even Borville dumbfounded. He paid the doctor no mind as he rushed out after his hero.

Link was a fast runner, to be sure. In only an hour, he had made his way back to Lake Hylia, since Castle Town wasn't too far. There was a huge cliff that separated the lake from Gerudo Desert, yet he jumped it like it was nothing. Without breaking stride, he sprinted toward his original destination, Arbiter's Grounds, the ancient prison of sand. Before he made it too far, he was stopped by someone. He recognized the voice and turned around. There, by his side, was a certain little imp named Midna. He was happy, to be sure, but he didn't look that way when she began talking.

"Link... Before we go on, there is something I must tell you about, and you must keep this to yourself. Do you remember what Lanayru had said about the interlopers who tried to take over the Sacred Realm? Do you know what happened to them?" She spoke as though they were never separated. "They were banished. They were chased all across Hyrule and through the Mirror of Twilight. They were never to return again, but I suspect that their leader had escaped, for the legends of the Twilight Realm once told of one by the name of Dark Link. He was the second follower of the leader of the interlopers, Twilight Link. When they were chased across Hyrule, Dark Link had surpassed the goddess of power, Din, and hid in the shadows of this world. So you see, this is a dangerous realm even for you, for he could jump out at you at any time, any place, and kill you. Even as the hero, you can't be too careful, but you can easily be caught off guard. But do you see who I am?" She hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I am a descendant of the tribe that was banished to the Twilight Realm!"

There was dead silence after that. Until she broke it once again.

"Link…" Midna broke off after that. She couldn't continue as she looked at her friend and saw nothing in his eyes. It was as though he wasn't present in his own body. She didn't know what was wrong, and it unnerved her to see him so emotionless. But she could tell by the look in his eyes that he wanted to know where everyone had gone.

"I know what you want to know...and you won't like it. You see...well… Renado and the kids are…"


	24. Killing the Twilight Princess

He needed to know nothing more from her. He immediately ran back toward Lake Hylia, then to Hyrule Field, then to Kakariko Village. He would never forgive himself if anything had happened to them. He didn't even bother to call Epona; he didn't want to wait for her to arrive. He could hear Midna screaming his name ceaselessly as he ran and she chased him. He ran so fast that she noticed that the tears that fell trailed behind him like a tail on a dog. She didn't think it was physically possible to run so quickly. When he made it into the village, it was empty, just like how he had left it. He ran through every visible square inch, searching for the kids or the shaman, but they could be found nowhere. When Midna found him, he was on his knees in the dirt. She saw that he didn't even try to stifle the pained sobs that came. She truly did feel sorry for him; the only friends and family he had, other than Midna, were…

She placed a hand on his shoulder. He was shaking so violently with pure rage that he shook the imp as well until she felt sick. She tried what she could to help him.

"Link...as hard as it is, it's true. They may be dead, but their spirits will always watch over you. You needn't cry for them."

It didn't help in the slightest. He wept louder than he wanted to, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't hold it back. When she came closer to him, trying again, he couldn't hold himself back. Rage controlled his every thought as he unsheathed his sword and slashed at her in one fluid motion. She gasped and jumped back, forgetting about the fact that she was in her physical form.

"Link, what the heck is wrong with you?!" While she was screaming, she hadn't noticed a sword flying at her. She dodged out of the way just in time, the blade just barely missing her face; the worst that happened was a cut along her left cheek.

"Stop, Link! There's nothing you can do about it, so just let it go!" She forgot that he had projectiles, so when she turned around to get his sword, an arrow met her back. He then ran over, picked up his sword, and slid it right through her chest. She looked up at him in horror, and when he pulled the blade out of her, she collapsed. He had killed her. As he stood there, looking at Midna's lifeless body, a voice appeared in his head from nowhere in particular.

_Congratulations, hero… You killed her. Now we can start a new age of darkness… I will be looking for you…_

He was released from the grasp of his rage, and when he looked back down at Midna, he dropped his sword. It hit the ground with a loud clank that reverberated through the village. He ran away, to some place he couldn't be found: the Forest of Din.

From the heavens above, four people looked down on him, sadness in their eyes. Those four people were the goddesses: Din, Farore, Nayru, and Hylia. They saw their hero, weakened by despair. They decided to do the only thing they could for him.

The Forest of Din was located at the very northern edge of Hyrule, beyond Zora's Domain. It was a place that nobody ever dared to go, for they thought it was cursed by the goddess Din, so that anyone who entered would never return. It was said to house a power unknown by everybody. But Link ran in there like it was nothing to hide. Hide from himself and the goddesses. He just knew that after what he'd done, they wouldn't be able to look at him. He just collapsed in the heart of the forest and cried. Cried for days on end, without eating or resting, or anything. Normally, it wasn't humanly possible to do so, but he could.

To think that this all started because of Zant...everything he had been through, all his suffering, and that of Midna's, all because of him. The reason the land had transformed into twilight, the reason he was dragged all over the place to get those Fused Shadows, the reason Midna nearly died the first time and died the second...all Zant. Nobody in Hyrule deserved any of this, and he just wished it never did happen. He could still live a normal life in Ordon Village, herding the goats as he had loved to do. He could have spent time with the kids, and he would've never had to do this.

But if that did happen, he wouldn't have met Midna. He wouldn't have found out he was the chosen hero, he wouldn't have known that Zant was going to take over, and it would've been too late by the time danger came. He wouldn't have seen the goddesses either, or met Princess Zelda. To think that there can be no good without evil, or no evil without good.

He felt a strange, yet soothing presence, and when he finally turned around, he saw none other than the village kids and Renado. When Link tried to stand to see if his mind was playing tricks on him, he did nothing more than fall back down onto his knees, as he was too weakened to stand. When he had tried to stop crying, exhaustion caught up to him, and he blacked out. The people were nothing more than spirits, yet Renado picked him up and carried him out of the forest and back to Ordon Village, his home.

The tears never subsided, as they trailed behind them. They cleared the woods and headed for the treehouse that Link had called home. They laid him down on the bed inside and waited. They were there at the behest of the goddesses, and doing otherwise would send them to the underworld.

They did nothing but wait. Wait for three days straight as he slept. He cried in his sleep all the while, and it made the kids want to do the same, especially Ilia, whose memory was restored when she was granted access into the Sacred Realm. They could read his thoughts while he slept.

_Midna… Where...where's Midna…_

That was what tore at their heartstrings the most. The fact that he was desperately trying to find his friend in his sleep. The one time he is granted freedom from life, all he can think about is Midna. It didn't seem fair that he had to go through all this, but they knew that he had caused some of the pain.

One could also assume that he still feared Auru, the one he used to look up to in his childhood. It made sense, though, seeing as how he had actually killed him. The recent events left him truly tired, and he slept better than he had in a while. That didn't mean it was peaceful. The fate of his parents still haunted him, replaying itself time and time again in his mind. It was just something he couldn't escape. He had only found out a short while ago, so he hadn't been able to move on yet.

Soon after, his mind finally awoke, only to see that the people were still there, and he was at home. Tears still spilled over, and when he registered what was going on, he started all over again. Renado's spirit placed a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down, as he had to do before when he had protested against being carried.

_Link… We don't want you to cry over us anymore…_

It was more like a thought, which meant they could speak to each other telepathically.

_But what should I do? I killed my own friend!_

_She is fine, I guarantee you… She is with us now in the Sacred Realm…_

_But…_

_Would it be be better if you saw her?_

In the stillness of the air around them, a young lady appeared. She looked happy, despite being faced with the man who killed her. She looked nothing like Link remembered. She had gained her true form once again.

_M-Midna…? I...I… I'm so sorry! I couldn't-_

She smiled as she pressed a finger to his lips to silence him. He couldn't physically feel it, but he could feel her essence.

_Link, it's fine… You've made me happy._

_But...how?_

_Because you've reunited me with the goddesses… There was nothing more in life that I had wanted, other than to be with you…_

_But now I'll never see you again! This was all my fault!_

_Don't say you'll never see me again… We will surely meet each other soon… But now, you have to stop crying… It's time you take care of yourself for once… After all, you still have Rusl and Uli...and the rest of the village…_

_But...how did the kids die? And Renado?_

_That… Well, Renado was about to tend to you after I had told him about you being injured, and we were attacked… Beasts stormed in, like the twilight beasts you've encountered before while we were saving the Light Spirits… They took us by surprise, and I tried to defend them, but…_

_She was swept aside, and they killed us._ Renado finished for her.

_I had no choice but to escape… I knew they wouldn't search for you, although it didn't excuse my actions for leaving you behind… I knew, however, that you'd be able to defend yourself, so I left… Then I heard a tornado had struck the village only days later, and I rushed back to find you...but you were gone. So I followed the trail it left behind to Lake Hylia, and I found you… I saw you in the desert. And...you know what happened from there… But it's over now...you have to continue the quest for me...to save the Twilight Realm from the hands of Zant… Now go. Stop crying and leave._

The tears that were ceaselessly streaming down his face finally stopped for the first time in days. He could move on and continue his quest, and finish it. He nodded as the spirits disappeared, but before he could take a single step, four more appeared. The four goddesses had showed themselves for him.

_Link, our hero… I am glad that you finally have the courage to continue…_ Din.

_It is not easy...and it probably won't be from here on out...but we know you can do it…_ Farore.

_Your wisdom exceeds beyond that of any other mortal...surely you can defeat Zant!_ Nayru.

_After all, you've done it in your past lives… We wish you the best of luck, hero…_ Hylia.

Link was completely thoughtless. The four golden goddesses, here in front of him? He couldn't think, nor could he move for countless minutes. When they disappeared, just like the others, he finally regained control. He thought about it for a while before finally deciding it was time to move on.

He returned to Kakariko Village, where Midna still lay there, and he picked up her lifeless body, a tear just escaping, but not as bad as the days prior. He set her down in the heart of the village and lit a fire. He burned her body, but kept the Fused Shadow. Now, she could finally, truly live in peace in the Sacred Realm, and he could finish what he had started. He picked up the Blade of Evil's Bane that he had dropped before, sheathed it, and headed for the Gerudo Desert.

Across the desert he traveled, with no water in sight, and if you don't think he was thirsty, you're crazy. He was actually dehydrating more and more with each step. Desert plants aren't too common, and the ones that he saw didn't offer too much water to drink, so he had to store all of it that he ever found. But he made it through, and made great time, considering the size of the desert. Soon he was in the shade of the prison, which meant he was practically within reach of the Mirror of Twilight, the only link left between the worlds of Light and Twilight.

He saw a portal up by where he assumed the Mirror of Twilight is, but he knew he couldn't get there. So he decided to do the one thing he could do: he had to go through the prison.

The place was known as Arbiter's Grounds, and the very first thing he noticed was that the very first room was filled with quicksand. It made him wonder how he was supposed to get across the room and into the next. He figured that the quicksand had to be activated by something, just like the water at the Lakebed Temple. He looked around, and found that there was nothing that would serve as a key to getting rid of all the sand, so he tried running across. Surprisingly, it actually worked. The quicksand did try to grab him, but he learned that as long as he kept moving quickly, and as long as he didn't keep his feet on the sand for more than a half a second at a time, he would be fine.

He made it to the other side, where he found a locked door. He also found a key right next to it, which never really happened before. Nevertheless, he took it and moved on. The next room was pitch black, and small skeleton creatures surrounded him. Of course, he had the lantern he found a while back, and he also had his sword, so it wasn't too hard to find his way to the other side. Also, the sand in that room wasn't quicksand, so he could just walk across. He found that out when he forgot to run.

In the third room, he saw that the way was already open for him, and that made him suspect that something was going on. Just as he predicted, something had happened. Four lanterns hovered out of the open path and took four flames into their grasp. Those flames were what kept the way open, and with them out of place, the door closed. The four lanterns with the blue flames circled around Link, until three of them headed off in different directions, the fourth one staying put, ready to kill the intruder. Without Midna and the Shadow Crystal, he couldn't transform when he needed to, so he didn't know that the lantern belonged to a ghost. But he did find that when he broke the lantern, the flame hovered back into place. He found that useful, so that was how he was able to defeat the first one.

He looked around him and saw that there were three ways to go. Two left and one right. He chose the one on the right first, and when he walked through the door, he saw it as a maze of sorts, filled with the quicksand he hated. The worst part was the fact that it was a maze, and that where there was solid ground it was few and far, so he couldn't stop until he reached one of those patches. On one instance, he had just barely made it to solid ground, as he was completely exhausted from constant running across quicksand. He could feel the presence of the ghost nearby, so he knew he couldn't rest for long before continuing on.

Before long, he found the second of the ghosts, hidden among other identical lanterns. It was easy to tell which one it was, for it was the only one that moved, just barely. He took out his bow and shot an arrow at the lantern, causing it to break. The flame hovered back through the rooms and to it's normal position. He was glad that the flames went back to their spots on their own, so he wouldn't have to take it back every time.

The third ghost was smarter to take a more treacherous path to hide from the hero. It was another maze of some kind, filled with quicksand, he had come to realize. Every time he took a wrong turn, rusty metal spikes flew up from the sand at him. It nearly made him jump out of his skin every time it happened. After all, who would expect giant spikes to shoot up in front of them?

But he did make it through that room, nearly being impaled by one of the spikes along the way, and he found that he had to run as fast as he could and jump onto a chandelier in order to find his way to the door. It swung violently with even the slightest disturbance, so Link was a bit apprehensive. He didn't know if it would support his weight or if it would just break from the chains and fall to the sand below. When he did jump, however, it shook madly, but it held him up, even with how old the chains were. Feeling satisfied that it wouldn't break, he jumped to the other door in front of him and moved on. It was different without Midna warning him, to be sure, but he could live with that for the time being.

But not much longer.


	25. Possessed

He found himself in a new room, one that was completely dark. He couldn't see his hand in front of his face, and the worst part was that in this darkness nearly the entire floor was covered in several feet of quicksand. But he didn't know that there was quicksand here, so he walked. When he felt the sensation of sinking, he began to run. At the time, it was just his imagination, but when he stopped dead center of the sand, it was no illusion. The sand immediately latched onto his feet and began to pull him under. He tried to escape, trudging toward where he saw land, but it felt like he was walking underwater with lead weights strapped to his feet.

Since he was hurt to begin with, it didn't take long before he was tired out. But in his blurred mind, all he could think of was making it to the other side. The sand quickly made it's way up to his waist, making it impossible to go any farther. He continued nonetheless, for in his mind, if he stopped now it would mean giving up, and his life would be forfeit.

When his chest went under, he could no longer breathe anyway, as the sand was slowly crushing him. It obviously didn't want to make this quick. But his neck quickly followed into the abyss, and all he could do at that point was reach his left hand outward in search of something to grab, although there was nothing.

The last thing he saw was the sand billowing on top of him before instinctively shutting his eyes.

The next thing he knew, he was on solid ground, coughing up endless amounts of sand. He didn't stop for a minute straight, but when he did he looked around. He saw nobody there with him, so it was a complete mystery to him how he made it to land. But he had fallen asleep before realizing that his weapons were gone.

The sound of screeching quickly awoke him only a short time later. He just barely lifted his head to discern where it came from, and found a Moblin right in his face. He nearly screamed and jumped back. He reached for his sword, only to find it wasn't there. Without it, he was practically defenseless against a beast with a cleaver. But it didn't try to kill him. Instead, it stepped aside and let someone else through. He recognized the figure as his other half, Twilight Link.

_It's about time I found you. You're quite the sneaky one, aren't you?_

He only stared at his evil brother as he continued on.

_Well, that doesn't matter now. Tomorrow at dawn I'll use you to destroy our world and make a new one from the ashes._

_Not as long as I have anything to do with it. _He stated simply, flatly, and telepathically.

He just smiled at his counterpart and gave him a swift kick in the head. After that, nothing more was said, as Link wouldn't be able to hear him anyway.

The Goddess of Time watched the entire thing. None of the four had known that Twilight Link had escaped from his prison. Long ago, after the War of Twilight officially ended, and when the ancient Link was returned to his true state, they had sealed his evil spirit, that of Twilight, into a mask known as the Fierce Deity Mask. It's wearer will awaken their most evil side, so it was sealed away in a secret place, far from the knowledge of humans. But it was said that one could actually obtain the mask, and the only person who was able to was Link, back in the Era of the Hero of Time, when he was just a child. He was able to control his evil spirit and use it to enhance his strength in battle. But he had created a leak, a small crack in the mask's barrier, in which the spirit within could escape. That was how Twilight Link escaped and is now roaming about.

This goddess especially feared for her hero's life, for she had known him before. Using her own power of telepathy, and the ability to infiltrate others' dreams, she did just that so as to warn him.

Hylia the goddess knew just the way she would warn him. It was through a song. It was through her own song, the Ballad of the Goddess, which was said to banish evil. Of all people to understand the meaning of the lyrics, it would be Link.

_Oh, one of youth,_

_Goddess, guide you,_

_ground, lead you,_

_bring the light to land._

_When darkness falls,_

_courage, guide you,_

_light meets you,_

_hold your sword skyward!_

_Peace once again will find it's way,_

_the Goddess will find a path._

_Know what is true,_

_believe in your strength,_

_the light will carve the way!_

_Oh youth,_

_guided by the servant of the goddess,_

_unite earth and sky,_

_and bring light to the land…_

_En dashaybu,_

_na bey shundu,_

_Tyeshu Tu,_

_kevaynu, sa le!_

That was a song he knew well, he just didn't know it. When played backwards on any instrument, or even sung backwards, it resembles another song. One he knew as Zelda's Lullaby. But that meant…

He woke up with a start after that dream ended. It was too late to try and escape anyway. It was already dawn. He could hear Twilight Link's dark footsteps as he drew near. He slid through the bars of the prison cell he was in and sneered.

_It's time, kid._

He pulled him from the ground by his shirt up close to his face. All he could see was his evil counterpart, as he was slowly creeping into his spirit. He could feel the malevolence seeping into his mind and controlling his thoughts. He tried to turn away to resist the urge to kill, but he couldn't move. All he could do was stare into those soulless red eyes he hated so much. By the time he was released, it was too late. He fell to the ground on his hands and knees, only to be brought up moments later. He could no longer think, except what Twilight Link thought.

_Now go and destroy the world._

He slid through the prison bars and found his weapons right outside. Taking them into hand, the first place he went was Castle Town, the most inhabited place in Hyrule. His good spirit was completely locked away and replaced with Twilight. The town quickly came into view, much to his dismay, for Link was not eager to take innocent lives.

The people in the town recognized him and greeted him as formally as they could, and as much as he wanted to return it, the only thing one of them got in return was a missing head. Everyone who saw ran away, even though it was futile, as Twilight Link created dark sword beams that shot out at them. Fanadi the fortune teller, who was amazingly accurate with fortunes, was rather misfortunate to be one of them who was hit. Many of the people were dumbfounded at his display of evil and were completely frozen in place. Others retreated into their homes for safety as he stormed through the town, destroying everything in sight.

Buildings burst into flames as he quickly destroyed them, forcing the people to escape, only to be greeted with the dark sword. Telma's bar was the only place that would provide a safe house for the time being, as it was mostly hidden from view and well fortified. That was where most of the survivors ran, making sure not to be spotted.

Link knew this, and Twilight Link could read his mind, therefore knew where everyone was going. He made his way down to the bar and softly knocked on the door, sword ready. Telma timidly opened the door, just to be met with the Blade of Evil's Bane. Everybody was huddled into a corner, wishing they wouldn't be seen. Pretending not to see them, he left. But then he flew up into the air and, with one broad swing, destroyed the bar. The people in there didn't have a chance to escape, and were therefore killed in the process.

Hearing the screams of the townsfolk roused his good spirit. Link tried desperately to break free of evil's grasp, also wondering why the Master Sword wasn't doing it's job in banishing evil like it should. Once Castle Town was totaled, Twilight Link set the surrounding fields on fire, burning with pure malice; the flames were dark. The fire spread throughout the entirety of Hyrule, all the way to Zora's Domain and down to Faron Woods. The Zoras and every other race in between all feared for their lives as the dark flames engulfed their villages. Even the Gorons, who lived and thrived on fire, died within those flames.

By now, Link had had enough. He fought from within to escape, slowly overpowering his evil spirit. Twilight was struggling to maintain control as Link found his strength again. In one last attempt to quell his rebellion, he grew a thousand times his size, lightning striking down onto the land as he did so. Storm clouds gathered in a fraction of a second and poured down acid rain, further intensifying the flames. Now his blade was so large and powerful that one swing could create a ten mile deep canyon in the earth. Several of these were made while fighting himself.

He ran to Ordon Village to finish the work he had successfully started, and set it ablaze. Next was Snowpeak, and he would be done destroying Hyrule. However, this was prevented. The hero let out the loudest scream possible, sure that every survivor in Hyrule could hear it, and was released from his evil side's grasp. He was in midair as it was, and now that he was free, he fell to the still burning field below, sword still in hand. Where he landed, the flames extinguished.


	26. A Rage Like Never Before

By the time he awoke, Hyrule Field was nothing but charred remains, as well as Castle Town. No doubt in his mind that everyone was dead by now. He got himself into a seated position and looked all around him, burnt grass and trees as far as the eye could see. It was just a barren landscape he left behind, with ten mile deep canyons dotting the land around him. He let his evil spirit loose. He had lost.

In his battle against Twilight Link, the root of his evil had been the victor. Destroying Hyrule was the very thing to be prevented, and by now it was too late. He just knew it. Twilight Link was the one who killed everyone he loved. Renado, the kids, Midna...all gone because of him. He was furious with himself for letting this happen. He immediately grew angry; he wanted revenge. For the first time in his life, he grew truly angry enough that he wanted payback. His fists clenched at his sides at the mere thought, his heart rate rapidly increasing and his rage intensifying. He was _done_ with Twilight Link. He was ready to _kill_.

The Crest of the Triforce glimmered ever so slightly on the back of his hand, then changed entirely. It shone a deep fiery red, redder than Twilight's soulless eyes. The power of the goddesses coursed through him, making him more deadly than lightning. That coupled with fury made him that much so.

Everything else about him lost all it's color. His spirit took over his being, giving white knight a new meaning. He stood up, turning toward his new destination, the place Twilight Link headed when he escaped. Zant wasn't the threat, and this "King of Darkness" wasn't his target. It was Twilight Link now.

"Master Ganondorf, I have failed to kill the Hero of Time. He was simply too powerful for me. I am sorry."

"If I didn't have a mind, Twilight Link, I'd kill you. But I need you right now. Go back out there and kill the hero."

"Yes, Master."

Ganondorf was the King of Darkness. He was the one who drained the Master Sword's power and used it to boost his own. But before he could sent his minion out, Link's spirit burst into Hyrule Castle, where they were, and ran into Twilight Link, killing him with the pure force. He had a spirit Master Sword in hand as he alighted onto the ground and gazed into Ganondorf's eyes, reading his own spirit and thoughts.

_Ganondorf…_

_What's going on?! Why do you look like that?! Where am I?!_

_Ganondorf… Leave the Light World alone. Return to the Twilight Realm, and never return, or feel the wrath of the goddesses!_

_No! I'm not leaving this world without a fight! Come at me if you dare, and feel my wrath, the power of darkness!_

_Very well, then… If that's what you want, I shall give it to you…_

Link's spirit used his power to remove Ganondorf's spirit from his body, a pure dark power, pure malice. The two spirits represented the good and evil in this world, and they were equally matched opponents. However, Ganondorf was just a little more powerful than him. Their swords clashed as one tried to push back the other. The smaller of the two's feet began slipping under the king's strength, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to hold himself up much longer. Without trying, Ganondorf used his sword, or rather the sword of the ancient sages who tried to execute him, to knock him off balance.

It was obvious that he was tired; as he lay there he was panting like a dog, barely able to stay awake, as the evil aura around the castle was draining his energy. He knew, however, that there would be time to rest later. At the moment he had to get up, so that's what he did. This _beast_ was the one who caused all the evil in Hyrule, and he knew that this was it.

He managed to land a clean cut right through his armor, but unfortunately it wasn't enough. It didn't faze the evil king in the slightest, and he went in for another sword clash, as he figured out that it was the one thing Link couldn't stand against. The hero dodged just in time and made another successful cut in the armor. Ganondorf wasn't oblivious to the fact that the armor would sustain every strike, and quickly became cocky about it.

_Well, well...it doesn't seem as though you'll get through the armor, but you can try… Just try!_

_Shut up…_ Was all he could manage as the evil aura continued to sap his strength.

Yes, it was true. The armor he wore could sustain quite a bit of damage, but Link knew that it wasn't indestructible. This knowledge pushed him onward, even when he wanted to just give up. Knowing that he could break it gave him the motivation needed to try.

_Well if you want to try, then do it! Break my armor!_ He left himself completely open to all of Link's attacks. That gave him the opportunity to unleash his most powerful attacks on it so as _to_ break it. By the time he was tired out and had to stop, he barely made a dent. Ganondorf saw this and swung at the hero, and was successful in his attempt. He brought him down with the single strike, as the sword alone was his size. He was about to end him, but something stopped him from doing so. Just as he was about to bring his sword down on the Hylian, a streak of light burst into the castle and caught him off guard, bringing him to the ground. The figure revealed itself to be someone that Link knew well.

_Midna!_

_It's good to see you again, Link… I told you we'd meet again. But you know I'm dead for good._

_Midna...don't say that! I will find a way to bring you back!_

_Just forget it..._

Ganondorf ran over and grabbed Midna, holding his own sword against her throat. Link gasped as he didn't want Midna to die a second time, and tightened his grip on the blade he held, ready to end him.

_If you don't want the little princess to die, I suggest you surrender. Drop your sword and I will let her go._

_Link…do as he says!_

Spirit Link dropped his sword, but as he did, Ganondorf grabbed him as well.

_Now that I have you both, and since I have Power and Wisdom already, I can finally take the other two shards from you two and become the true Demon King! Finally, the Tetraforce, mine!_

They struggled to break free of Ganondorf's death grip, but failed. He started choking the two. They were both fighting the King of Darkness as Link was giving out. Midna noticed this and fought harder, Link desperately trying to do the same. Then she noticed his head drop and his eyes close. He gave up entirely, and was the first to die, but somehow Midna escaped.

_Let him go! You know he is a force to be reckoned with!_

_Midna, Twilight Princess. I admire your persistence, but you see, your pathetic human friend is now nothing more than a dead body, or spirit, I should say. If you serve me as your master now, I might just forgive you. But I will still take your Triforce from you and transform into the Demon King. You see, I now have Power, Wisdom, and Courage from Zelda, Link, and the Sacred Realm, so if you stand up against me now, you'll just be destroyed on the spot._

_I don't care, as long as Link is safe! I will gladly give my life for him._

_In that case, I guess you'll get your wish. However, it will not be as you would imagine it. Once I take the life from you, the complete Tetraforce will finally be mine to take._

_What do you mean by Tetraforce?_

_That you'll never find out. After all, why would I want you getting in the way? This power, the power that Twilight Link once sought to use for his evil deeds, dwells in you. As the Twilight Princess, you inherited it from Hylia herself, in a past life, I mean._

With her own sword in hand, she attempted to destroy him, ending his cycle, but the power of the Master Sword that Ganondorf had drained combined with the Triforce and armor kept him alive. When Midna thought she was done for, she saw a great flash of light, and a gold streak flew into the room they were in, running into Ganondorf.

_Zelda?!_

_Correction. It's Hylia, Zelda is just me reborn. But we can't worry about that now, Midna. This is our chance to take him down!_

But when Hylia finished, Ganondorf was already up. He started growing larger.

_Fools! Can't you see that I have the complete Triforce, and have gained invincibility?! I am no longer Ganondorf the Thief. I am now…the Demon King Ganon!_

Hylia and Midna both merged their power together, what little they had left. The power they had left wasn't enough, however, and they barely even touched him. He looked at them and laughed.

_You don't honestly think you can beat me, do you?_

Then Midna had an idea.

_Din, Goddess of Power… Farore, Goddess of Courage… Nayru, Goddess of Wisdom, and Hylia, Goddess of Time… In my desperate hour, hear my plea… Grant me the power to banish evil forever!_

There was another flash as the sky lit up around them. The power of the goddesses flowed through her, and she looked at the Demon King. Together they overthrew Ganon, and soon he was powerless against them. Even with the power of the Master Sword in his hands, he couldn't fight against a goddess. Not like Link had done before. Ganondorf's spirit returned to his body. Why was that so quick?

"But…this isn't even possible! How could you beat me so quickly, or even beat me at all? I am the Demon King! The Triforce was supposed to make me invincible!" He ran off into the darkness of the twilight, which was brightening up with his defeat.

_Hylia, he didn't know, did he?_

_No, he didn't. The Triforce doesn't make one invincible. Only the power of Time can do that._

_Zelda, or Hylia, is there anything you can do about Link?_

_Of course there is. I just need Wisdom and Courage again, and I'll see what can be done here._

_He…ran off with it._

_Not quite. I took it from him when he was off guard. Power remained with him, however, because he was chosen by it._

With the Triforce of Wisdom and Courage, Princess Zelda returned to the realm of the living, Midna staying behind. Link was still there, dead.

_Hey, Zelda. Do you think that he still has the Ocarina of Time?_

"Yes, he does. As the Hero of Time, all relics like that are carried throughout the eras. It was protected by the goddesses, and their blessings made it indestructible. I have it right here. With the Triforce of Courage back in his possession, there is only one thing left to do. I have to play the Song of Time."

_Why are so many things named after Time?_

"Because Time is a valuable thing, Midna. It is caused by the Goddess of Time, me in other words."

With the ocarina, Zelda played the Song of Time and reversed Link's death. He stood there in a daze and looked at them.

_Link. Are you…OK? _Midna asked. He shrugged.

_Do you remember anything? From your past? _Zelda asked him, as she knew what had happened.

He nodded. Then Midna spoke up again.

_Well, then...I guess this is farewell. Don't worry, though, for we will meet again in a new life…_

Midna faded away, leaving Link and Zelda there to themselves. That's when Zelda noticed he was different.

"Link...you look different."

He looked at her in confusion, but before his potential question could be answered, a voice came to them. It was all too familiar.

_Oh, Link… Why do you always think you can defeat evil forever?_

It was Twilight Link. Obviously he came for more. Anyone would think that after dying they wouldn't come back, but his evil side was an extraordinary one. The rage that had only subsided moments before returned tenfold, the Crest of the Triforce once again fiery red. He gripped his blade so hard that his knuckles turned white, the rest of him red from anger. His heart was racing, and his eyes no longer the normal, lighthearted, cerulean ones everyone knew. A rage that could never be fully comprehended burned in them. Zelda had never in any of her past lives seen him like this.

_So you don't want to give up? Then it looks like I'll have to end you again, Twilight._

_Not likely, my counterpart. For I have something that you don't, and that's power._

At this point, he grew exceptionally angry with him. He ran at him as fast as he could and unleashed his full power on him, every drop of the power of the goddesses that resided within him. The Power, Wisdom, and Courage that rested in him was let loose entirely, and lightning struck down around them. The roof of Hyrule Castle gave way to each strike, chunks of it falling everywhere. Zelda was completely awestruck; what had Twilight Link done to him to get such a reaction out of him?

She had to continuously dodge the falling castle and lightning, but Link paid no mind as he fought. Quite a few hits were effective, and others were not. Twilight Link showed no sign of tiring out, so it seemed to both him and Zelda that he could do this forever, though they knew better.

Link thought he saw Auru in the background, just watching the whole spectacle, but didn't pay attention. He was sure his mind was playing tricks on him anyway. He finally landed a clean stab, and Twilight finally gave in. But before disappearing, he made one last ditch effort to thwart the hero. Summoning the last of his dying strength, lightning shot directly at him, and he couldn't react quickly enough to avoid it. In a split second that felt like forever, the electricity ran it's course through him and completely paralyzed him. He let out a loud scream before falling. Seeing as how his job was done, Twilight Link dissipated, leaving him to die of his own accord.

"Link!" He could just barely make out his name being called. His eyes had not played tricks on him. Auru ran to his side, slid a hand under his back, and lifted him up gently. He felt a slight shock as he did so, as the electricity from the lightning had not completely left him. His clothes were scorched from the strike, his skin singed. It looked as though he came out of a fire. He could not move at all, no matter how much he tried. He couldn't even think straight. All he could do was stare at the people around him through glassy eyes.

Zelda knelt down beside him and placed a hand on his cheek. She smiled warmly at him, and as much as he wanted to return the smile, he couldn't. Unable to stay awake any longer, he shut his eyes, and was out, showing no sign of life whatsoever. Fearing the worst, she removed her hand from his face and set it on his chest. She sighed in relief when she felt his light breathing.

"Are you Princess Zelda?" Auru asked when he snapped out of his stupor.

She just nodded, unable to find words at the moment as she looked upon her hero.

When his mind registered that she was the princess of Hyrule, he instinctively bowed down before her in the most respective manner.

"I'm sorry for not realizing sooner, princess. I am Auru, a friend of Link's, although I haven't been the best, if I do say so myself."

"You have no need to bow before me. Please, sit up, Auru, and tell me what you mean."

"Well, last time I saw him he was possessed by Twilight Link, and I didn't know that it was still him, so I…" He trailed off after that, not wanting to explain.

"You what?" She persisted.

"I...attacked him. I stabbed him, thinking he was a demon. When he regained control of himself, he...he died. There was nothing I could do about it. I couldn't save him, no matter how much I tried. The goddesses spared him, and brought him back, however, and when he saw me...he feared me. He was afraid of me, for he remembered. When I tried to calm him and reassure him that I wasn't a threat, he ran away. I couldn't find him until now, and I feared the worst the whole time."

"Don't worry, Auru. You did your best, and that's all that matters."

Princess Zelda always knew what to say. It was as if she had memorized what she would say beforehand.

"I guess you're right...but what if he is still afraid of me? When...or _if_, he wakes up and tries to escape again, what should I do?"

"He will wake up again, I assure you, and if he still fears you, he won't have the strength to run away, giving you the chance to prove to him that you're still his friend. You can explain everything that happened, and he will understand, trust me."

"How do you know what to say?"

"Because I predict what will be asked or said, and I am quick with answers. But that is beside the point. What we should worry about is him."

"Is there a place we could lay him? Just so he is more comfortable?"

"There are several guest bedrooms in the castle, so if we clean one of them we can keep him in there."

Auru took the initiative of lifting Link into his arms as he followed the Hylian princess to the place she was talking about. It was rather messy, and everything was covered in dust, but they could clean that up in no time. Zelda cleaned the dust off of the bed while Auru set the hero down on it and covered him with a thin blanket he found nearby. Then, while the princess looked him over, he got to work straightening up the place.

He stopped frequently to make sure Link was alright. Even though Zelda was making sure he was, she understood his need to do so as well. Each time he stopped, she assured him that he would be alright. Once everything was in place, he went back to stay at Link's side while he took his time to recover.

Thankfully, the lightning strike wasn't too serious; it could have been a lot worse. The goddesses are truly with him every step of the way if he has survived all this time. Nearly everyone in Hyrule was dead, but the few that survived worked to rebuild Castle Town, as that was the most important place in the kingdom. Prince Ralis, who was a friend of Link's, also stayed by his side, as well as his fiancee, Ruta. The patriarch of the Gorons, Darbus, was there as well. It seemed as though the leader of every race was in that room with him. And although nobody knew it, the late queen Rutela was there watching. Every one of them was concerned for his wellbeing.


	27. The End of the Beginning

He didn't look any better, but he didn't look any worse either as the day went on. He just looked beaten and worn down. Auru soon took it upon himself to wake him, or at least try.

"Link…"

The sound of his voice swept through his mind. In the state he was in, he didn't recognize who the voice belonged to, and wanted desperately to find out. He opened his eyes just a slit, and was immediately met with the face of Zelda. He smiled, for the mere presence brought peace to his mind. At least, until he caught sight of Auru. Seeing as how he couldn't get up to run away, he did the next best thing he could. He backed up as far away as he could, which wasn't far, panic taking over his entire being. Auru calmly walked over, though saddened by his display, and set both hands on his shoulders.

"Link, listen to me. I did not mean to do what I did. Look, when we took you to Borville, I took care of you, being the only one who wanted to. Twilight Link took possession of your body and used you to try and kill us. I didn't know it was still you; I thought it was another person entirely. So I did what came as instinct: I fought back. But when I did, he left, and you took his place again, and well...you know what happened from there."

Link didn't seem convinced in the slightest, leaving Zelda to explain.

"It's true. Just trust him. You must believe that he did his best to protect you and save your life, but he just couldn't. I hope you can find it within yourself to forgive him."

He looked around the room, at all the faces looking at him, even down at himself as if he were lost. It became clear that he actually _was._ Then he remembered something. Zelda held him down when he proceeded to stand up and run out the door.

"Come on, Link. At least give yourself a break. What could be so important that you have to go now?"

When he continued to attempt the impossible, the look on his face told her everything. She specifically remembered what Midna had said to him before he went to Arbiter's Grounds. He never found the Mirror of Twilight, he never defeated Zant, and he never fulfilled Midna's last wish to finish what they had started. In his mind, he had never truly saved the world from the spread of twilight, as Zant was still there.

"It's over, Link, trust me. Zant won't try to harm us anymore, for he is now leaderless since you defeated Ganondorf."

As if on cue, a mysterious masked man stepped forward. Link's eyes widened upon sight, and he broke free of the princess's grip. He began to run, but Darbus caught him and held him against his will, forcing him to stay. He thrashed around beneath his grip, truly terrified this time.

"Stop! Link, he won't hurt you!" Everything Darbus said was yelled. He never spoke calmly or quietly. He had a right to scream, however. Lately, the hero has been uncharacteristically scared. Ever since the incident with Auru, he's been like this. Having tired himself out, he gave in and looked right up into the emotionless mask. The stone headdress pulled itself back to reveal the face of Zant. He smirked at the sight, still having a touch of evil within.

"If it isn't the hero! This is quite literally the first time I've ever seen you like this, and coincidentally it is the time I'm not evil. You should've been afraid before if I do say so myself."

That was the first time he had actually heard his voice before. It sounded devoid of any emotion, quite fitting for his character. He just nodded, and before anything else could be said, Darbus lifted him up into a single arm, being that big. He glared at him as if to say "I never asked to be carried," but instead of protesting, he unintentionally fell asleep. It was the first time in a while that he looked at peace in his sleep. And that was understandable. He could feel his majestic heart pounding softly, and it soothed him. Being as how Darbus was never a father to anyone, he refused to let go of Link so he could sleep in the bed. It was clear that he was enjoying it, and nobody really wanted to ruin it for him. Plus, Link seemed comfortable like that.

He only slept a short time before woken up by a mysterious force. Nobody tried waking him, he just heard something familiar. Looking around, he was about to telepathically ask who said something, until others appeared. Sure he was just seeing things, he jumped out of Darbus's arms and slowly walked over to the people. It couldn't be...could it? Everyone bowed down before them despite their protests, and they had four distinct colors. Red, blue, green, purple...the goddesses.

_Heroic Link...you've done well to defeat the King of Darkness…_ Din.

_Please, as a sign of eternal gratitude for you, take this…_ Farore.

_May you use it to protect your loved ones when they need you…_ Nayru.

_And Link… Never forget that we will always be with you, as with Midna… Surely you will see her again...we will see to it that you do…_ Hylia.

With their power, they shot Link with a bolt of lightning. But it wasn't painful, nor did it electrocute him. It felt warm and welcoming, like an early morning spring breeze back in Ordon Village. He closed his eyes and let the heat envelope him. Zelda watched as she saw something happen to the hero. She shielded her eyes from the flash that came afterwards. He looked at the goddesses, tears in his eyes, when he saw what they gave him.

_Farewell, Link...make use of the gift we have given you, and also make use of the legend in the statue…_ They all faded away, and the two looked at each other in confusion. Legend?

Now he really looked different. All of his previous scars were gone, and he was left more pure than he ever had before. But that wasn't it. He was given new power. The voices of the goddesses spoke up once more to him. Hylia was the first to speak.

_Link...we have given to you great Power, Wisdom, and Courage. These are our gifts._

Then it was Din's turn. _Din's Fire… Show your power by searing your enemies with white hot flames…_

_Farore's Wind… Show your courage by blowing away any danger…_

_Nayru's Love… Show your wisdom by shielding yourself when dangers are great…_

_And Hylia's Ice… When you have time on your side, freeze any threat in the coldest of ice…_

_You simply must call upon these gifts, and use them to protect Hyrule…_ They all spoke in unison before their voices left. He looked back at Zelda, who just nodded.

"Look up there!" Zelda pointed to the statue of the Goddesses. In the center was a sort of inscription. Using his newfound power of Farore's Wind, he took it down with ease and began reading.

_The princess of the Twilight Realm will one day come to save the two worlds of light and darkness. With the help of two humans from the Light World, a princess and the Hero _

_of Time, she will vanquish all evil in a diminished form. The second Mirror of Twilight is her only hope of breaking her curse. She calls upon the hero to help her collect the Fused Shadows, a mystical force that was used to take over the Sacred Realm in ancient days before Hyrule. The two princesses and the hero become as spirits in order to save one another. However, one died, leaving the hero in despair. Now, it is his job to move on from his past and continue with the future. The Twilight Princess was his only friend in the world, and now he has to push it past him in order to continue with his future…_

When they were done, they looked back at each other, understanding every word of it.

"So, she was the Twilight Princess?"


	28. A New Beginning

Part Two

_It is time for you to return to the realm of the living and find the hero…_

_Nayru? But why?_

_It is your duty to stop the impending war with the hero...and I told him that you'd meet again, as did you…_

_I...I understand._

Peace was once again restored to the world of the Sky Era, as Demise, the Demon King's descendant, was forever trapped within the Master Sword. Fi, Link's companion of the era, was gone, awaiting the next hero to come. She would forever sleep within the sacred sword, as was her destiny. This marked the end of the hero's part of the era, his part of the Sky Era. Once he died, that would mark the end of the true era, and they will enter a hundred years of transition into the next, as that is how long it takes for another to be born. But for now, Link and Zelda of this era lived happily on the surface, beneath the Statue of the Goddess Hylia. They don't have memory of the Twilight Era, for these are two new incarnations. They will have to learn on their own somehow, but how?

The two and their friends Groose and his gang used to live in the sky, in a place they had come to call Skyloft, but since the defeat of Demise, they were once again able to live down on earth. The wind was softer down there than it was in Skyloft, which always seemed to have endless gusts of wind blowing in their direction, from all four. It was nice down here, and it would, of course, take a little getting used to, but they could manage, right?

The two friends were given the responsibility of protecting the Triforce in case evil were to return somehow. So, they guarded the sacred relic which sat atop the statue they worshiped under. It was the best place to keep it, so they may always see it, no matter where in the little village they were. The name Hyrule was of no knowledge, so they did not live in the familiar kingdom.

"Link, can you feed the Loftwings today? I have to clean the Statue of the Goddess!" Loftwings were the guardian birds that each one in Skyloft, an island above the clouds, is blessed with at a young age by the Goddess. Link's bird was extraordinary, however. He was blessed with a Crimson Loftwing, a breed so rare that it was thought to have vanished from the line entirely. She looked at him, and she saw a dazed look on his face. Before she knew what was going on, he uncontrollably doubled over and threw up onto the grass, resulting in Zelda freaking out.

"Ew, Link! Couldn't you have at least warned me?" She acted like a little girl again, making Link smile, until the sickness caught back up to him again. She saw him waver, as he started to lose his balance. It was only until it was too late that she found out he was passing out. She caught him before he hit the ground. What was wrong with him?

She carried him up to his room, inside the Temple of Hylia, where she set him down on the bed and covered him with a thick quilt inlaid with Loftwing feathers. These were the warmest materials known to them. Then she sat and waited. She could see clear as day that he was shaking, despite the blanket on top of him. The whole bed shook with him, it was that violent. She placed a delicate hand on top of his quivering shoulder and sang softly as she looked him over.

"_Oh, one of youth,_

_Goddess, guide you,_

_ground, lead you,_

_bring the light to land._

_When darkness falls,_

_courage, guide you,_

_light meets you,_

_hold your sword skyward!_

_Peace once again will find it's way,_

_the Goddess will find a path._

_Know what is true,_

_believe in your strength,_

_the light will carve the way!_

_Oh youth,_

_guided by the servant of the Goddess,_

_unite earth and sky,_

_and bring light to the land..._

_En dashaybu,_

_na bey shundu,_

_Tyeshu Tu,_

_kevaynu, sa le!"_

His constant shaking seemed to lessen a bit throughout the song, but it wasn't gone entirely. Zelda thought it was enough, however, to bring her mind to rest.

_Link…your destiny is not fulfilled yet… The incredible destiny of which you are a part of…is not complete…_

_What? But I saved the world from destruction. What more could there be?_

_In Faron Woods, you will find a maiden of Twilight… Go to her…_

He was startled awake from the dream and found he was in bed, and Zelda was sitting at the foot of the bed. She looked over at him. He looked back as if to say "What happened?"

"Link, I now know what you had meant before when you said that you felt as though something was calling out to you. I should have paid more attention. You must rest now. I will come back in a while to check on you." She walked out of the room and locked the door behind her. She knew he didn't like to stay still, so she took that precaution. He laid down quietly and thought about what it could've been that was calling to him. It happened very often, and he thought it was familiar somehow. It's been happening since he returned to the surface with Zelda and returned the Master Sword to it's place. It haunted him, and he just wished it would go away.

_Hero of the Skies… Come here… Come…to Faron Woods… Hurry… You have a great mission still… Come to the woods…_

He heard the voice again, and it was always telling him of a great mission in Faron Woods. He thought about it for a while, and he looked over at the Fused Shadow, which was passed down from the Hero of Twilight to him. But he didn't remember what it was. That memory just wasn't passed down to him. But he thought he recognized it. Before he could fully comprehend the thought, he was out once again.


	29. The Same Princess in a Different Era

He slept for the rest of the night and through the day and next night afterwards. Zelda was glad he was getting his rest, but she was also worried because he still looked sick. His shivering had never stopped the whole time, and there was not one trace of color in his skin. Even as he slept, he didn't look at rest. She set a hand on his forehead, and immediately withdrew it. She found he was running a fever, sure, but it felt...different than a normal fever. She didn't know how, but it was just different.

By mid-morning, Link finally awoke to the bright sun coming in through the window. He hadn't known how long he was out before Zelda walked in.

"You're finally awake? You mustn't be tired anymore after sleeping two days."

"Two...days?" He wanted to ask, but couldn't. Luckily, it was like Zelda could read his mind.

"Mind blowing, isn't it? You must've been tired or just really sick. Speaking of which, I don't know why, and I don't want to worry you anymore, but it seems as though you haven't gotten any better. But here, I made some soup for you. I figured you'd be hungry."

He didn't notice how hungry he truly was until he started eating. He downed the entire thing in less than a minute's time. He looked back at her, his eyes devoid of any emotion whatsoever, which worried her even more. She decided not to worry about it.

"You ate that so fast that you must really be the Hero of Time, huh?"

He couldn't help but laugh at that. It was true, he really seemed to be with how fast he does things, although that was the wrong title. Satisfied that she lightened up the mood a little, she left the room, leaving him to nothing but his thoughts. He finally noticed his incessant shivering when he was alone. He chattered relentlessly, even when he covered himself head to toe with the blanket he was given as a child, plus the Loftwing feather quilt. Despite the cold, he felt beads of sweat running down his forehead. He felt as though he were poisoned by something. He knew he wasn't though, as Zelda was far too protective of him for anything to happen to him.

_Link...hero chosen by the Goddesses… Go to Faron Woods...and seek the Princess of the Twilight… She will help you fulfill your destiny...and pay off your debt to Hylia…_

That voice...why won't it just leave him alone? It woke him up every time he tried to sleep, and when he did listen, it just said the same thing. After an hour of listening to the annoying voice in his head, he finally slept. He was able to sleep through it all, but that didn't mean it left him alone. It knew how to infiltrate his dreamscape.

_Link...you must listen… Go to the woods, and find the Twilight Princess…_

_Leave me alone for once! Can't you see I can't?!_

_Go to Faron Woods, and find the princess…_

_No! I won't go to the woods! I'm just not going to listen anymore!_

_Hey! Listen!_

_No!_

Zelda burst into the room, genuinely scared for her hero.

"Link? I heard screaming! Are you alright?!"

He hadn't realized he was yelling in his sleep. He gave a weak nod before sinking back down onto the bed.

"You didn't sound alright to me! Tell me what's wrong!"

He said nothing as usual, but instead of giving one of his own responses, he just lay there motionless. It wasn't normal sleep, Zelda knew it. She immediately grabbed his shoulders and shook him as hard as she could, screaming his name all the while. It caused nothing more than his head to roll to the side. When they heard screaming, Groose and his gang of cronies ran in to see what was going on.

"Hey, he going to be OK or something? Or is old Groose gonna have to take his job?" Groose had always hated Link until he learned of his great destiny toward the world below the clouds.

"Is he _dead_?" One of the others, Cawlin, asked sarcastically.

"I don't think so. He may be fine, I don't know…" Zelda hesitated. It wasn't like her to doubt the hero in cases like this. After all, he's been through worse than this. _This can't be happening…_ She continuously thought as she paced back and forth. _This just can't be happening… He'll be fine...won't he? Oh, Goddesses...if he doesn't…_

"Zelda, I don't think pacing will help. It's probably best to just leave him be and pray to Farore that she will watch him." The other one, Stritch, called to her when he saw the look on her face.

She sighed and gave in reluctantly, locking the door behind her in case he did wake up. And only after she left did he stir. He had just passed out again, that was all that had happened. When the voice returned to him, he decided to sneak out and head for Faron Woods, where the voice was calling him to. It wasn't far, so he made great time, although sick. What he saw at the heart of the woods was a giant glowing iceberg, which was odd, since this was a tropical place. As he came closer for a better look, he saw a figure inside. When he looked inside closely, he felt a great power, that of a Triforce. For some reason, the Triforce on his left hand reacted with the figure inside the ice. What he also saw in the ice was the thing in there glowing, presumably on the right hand. He was utterly perplexed; why would the person's hand resonate with his? The wielders of the Triforces of Courage and Wisdom were none other than Zelda and himself, and Power doesn't have one.

He quickly ran back to find Zelda, and to bring her back there. He had to find out what it was.

"Link, what are you doing out of bed? You're still sick!" He glared at her as they ran. "By the look on your face, it seems you have something to show me. Lead the way." She was taken back to Faron Woods, where Link had first found the ice. He cleared off the fog and showed Zelda. "Is that…a person? We have to get her out of there!" With a great energy force, Zelda melted the iceberg, freeing the little person.

"Link… War… Hurry…" The person fell down, exhausted. She looked like a little imp, but it couldn't be the Twilight Princess, could it? Her true form was restored long ago, and she returned to her realm and destroyed the last known connection. She must be dead by now, after an entire era has passed!

"She must have been through a lot recently, but how did she know your name?" Zelda asked. "We better get her home and lay her in bed. Then we'll ask what she meant by a war."

When she woke up, Link and Zelda were right there by her side. "I think she's coming around. She looks odd for a human. What kind of horrible thing happened to her?" Link did nothing but shrug.

"Link, Zelda… I'm glad I found you two. I thought you would be dead by now after the Twilight Era."

"This is the Sky Era, stranger. We are two new incarnations. We don't know anything that may have transpired in the era you speak of."

"Zelda, you mean to say you don't remember me? Don't you remember little Midna? How could you not remember me, Midna, Twilight Princess?"

"So you're the Twilight Princess from the legend? It is of the greatest honor to meet you, Midna is it?"

"Yes… Anyway, what I was going to say before was that there is a great war on the verge of starting."

"What? What are you saying, Midna?"

"Link, you must save the world once again, as you have in your other lives, you must do it again. The world depends on you. There is a war, known as the second War of Twilight, and you must defend the Light World once more from the spread of Twilight. You must once again draw the Master Sword and help me to save your world."

Now it was Zelda's turn to speak. "Midna, why would you want to save our world from yours? Wouldn't you just fight for your world?"

"It is not my world I am defending the light from. It is an evil alternate dimension of darkness I am fighting against. And, I have grown fond of the dwellers of the light."

"So, you are to use the Master Sword once more, this time to end a war. You and Fi should get along just fine, though you will owe her an explanation as to why you use the legendary sword again. It's to be a once in a lifetime maximum for using the sword."

"Zelda, that's not important. What is important is that Link uses this Fi and her sword to defeat twilight forever. The evil one, that is. Follow me. We are headed to a forgotten place."

They headed for an ancient place, long forgotten, as Midna stated. It was known as the Farore Forest. It was near Faron Woods, where the old Faron Woods used to be. "This place is one of legend. One of four. There are three more forests: Din Forest, Nayru Forest, and Hylia Forest. One of the four Goddesses watch over each one, given the name. Zelda, as you would imagine, the spirit of your Goddess form watches over the Hylia Forest. It is there that, according to legend, the war will take place, the final battle between light and twilight. We must win the battle, or the world will be engulfed in complete darkness for eternity. Or end, whichever comes first. Their plan is to bring the Dusk of Time around early."

"That means we only have so much time to prepare before it happens, so we have to hurry, before it's too late."

"Wait, there's something I have to tell you. I can restore the memory of your past lives, but we will have to do something. Faron Woods… Eldin Volcano… Lanayru Desert… These three places will have what I am looking for."

"What are you looking for, if I may ask?"

"...Mirror Shards. Yes, the pieces of the Mirror of Twilight. It was fragmented back last era, and we have to find the shards hidden across the world if we are to restore your memory. But be warned, for a great evil power resides within them, and if they are in the wrong hands, they will be taken over by the power in them, in other words, they will become evil. Link, like in the Twilight Era, I will be in your shadow while you do this, and if you need me, feel free to call, though you don't talk. First, we should head toward Faron Woods. The first one is there."

"I'm coming with you, Link and Midna. If you need wisdom, you need merely ask me. I will provide you with as much information as possible."

"No, Zelda. I cannot drag you into this. It is for Link and I only. You stay behind and watch over the Statue of the Goddess. We will do this alone."

"If you wish. Good luck, and return safely!"

Before she headed out, however, she noticed his sickly state.

"Link? Is something wrong? You don't look so well…"

He nodded and continued on. But she knew him better. She could read him like a book, just as she could last era. "No, you should get some rest. Come on, before you run off and get yourself killed."

He shook his head and tried to continue walking. He only made it a few steps before passing out. Zelda had watched the whole time, as she knew he wouldn't be able to go on. She lifted him up and walked back to the Temple of Hylia.

He slept through the remainder of the night and onto the next few days. Midna worried for him the whole time, and she also worried for what would happen if he couldn't find the Mirror Shards on time. He was still shaking, as that had never stopped in the first place. He woke up on the fifth day, during the afternoon as Midna and Zelda were still at his side. Something was terribly wrong with him, but they didn't know what. When he got up to go find the Mirror Shards, they didn't object, and Midna slipped into his shadow without a single word.

Faron Woods seemed to be completely discovered, but Midna knew better. She knew of a secret place in each province, since the land only changed so much since she was gone. Faron Woods was the same, Lanayru was a desert, but she knew the layout, as well as Eldin Volcano, which used to be a great field and Kakariko Village. But things change, and she had a map of the world. What happened to Hyrule?

"Up there. I bet you haven't been there before, have you? That is where the first of the Mirror Shards are. We must hurry and do this, for I fear that the War of Twilight is only days away. I feel the two worlds converging, which is when the light and twilight will battle. We have about a few months or so."

They could see the Mirror Shard when they made it to the very top of the Great Tree, but a sneaky monster swooped in and took it away, leaving them with the only choice of following it. They followed it through the woods until they came upon a sort of hideout, right above the Forest Temple. On his quest, Link never noticed that hideout because the entrance wasn't a massive door, but a tiny crack. It took a lot of force and time to squeeze through, and it looked a lot bigger than it did on the outside. It wasn't a forest theme, either. It was more or less ghostly themed. It did have an odd touch to it, and there were guards everywhere, and they had one problem: Link forgot the Master Sword. So they had to go all the way back to the Sealed Grounds, get the sword, give Fi a good explanation as to what was going on, go all the way back to the hideout, and squeeze their way back in. There, they were ready for real this time.

"Master, I calculate a 97% probability that the force emanating from the center of this vicinity is a far greater supernatural power than you have dealt with thus far." Fi called from the sword.

_Haven't I heard Midna say that before? Yes, back in the Lakebed Temple! That's where I heard it from!_

"I notice that you remember when I said that, Link. I am glad that you remember, because it will make the memory restoration much easier for you. Zelda, I'm still not sure what I will do with her, but I always find a way to do something. When the time comes, I have to tell you a secret that I had discovered recently, and you may or may not be surprised by it. The Mirror Shard is in the heart of the hideout, as Fi said, so we should head there."

It wasn't hard, to be sure, but there were guards everywhere, and their power was enhanced by the Mirror Shard. If they could take it away from them, all that darkness will leave Faron Woods for good. Link had good fighting experience, so it didn't take long to eradicate all the guards, though he didn't go completely unscathed. He was left with a bleeding left arm, but it paled in comparison to what he had gotten in the past. He could push through it without a problem. The hideout was rather small, so finding the center was a piece of cake for them, if cake was invented in that time. Midna was right; the mirror seemed to have an evil touch to it that he's never felt before. But as they approached the mirror, a great beast appeared out of nowhere. It was a dragon. The fossil of a dragon, actually. It's name was Stallord, and it used to guard Arbiter's Grounds.

"Stallord! It must have known that we would be here later. At least it will be easier to beat him than it would have been last time, seeing as how it has aged. It looks stronger, but it's weaker. Just aim for the hole in the skull."

But the hole was guarded. The sword that was once in that hole was gone, but it has a thick metal helmet on, so all attacks won't do anything. But Midna had an idea. She flew up to the top, created a ball of dark energy, and shot it at the hole that was guarded. It wasn't meant to be an attack, it was meant to find a secondary weak point. She didn't find one.

"Bad news, Link. The weak spot is completely guarded, and there isn't a secondary weak spot, so it looks like we'll have to destroy the helmet somehow.

But Link had a better idea. He took out his bow and arrows, lit an arrow on fire, and shot it at the helmet. It heated up, since it is a conductor of heat, and it melted the metal to the skull. When it cooled, it could be cracked open, revealing the hole where the cursed sword used to be. But it had to be brought down to the ground so he could use his own sword to crack it, and bringing it down was Midna's job. She used her hair, formed a giant fist with it, and pounded the beast, causing it to crash into the earth. This was when he could use the sword against it, so he did, and Fi's power surged through it, causing a Skyward Strike powerful enough to break the helmet off. Skyward Strikes are powerful attacks in which the sword is raised skyward, and the power of the sword spirit flows through it. When the sword is swung, a beam of light is shot out of it, causing great damage. But some enemies are immune to it. The hole was finally exposed, and Link stabbed it as hard as he could, causing it to shriek in pain, and it exploded. It disappeared into nothing, but the first shard wasn't there.

"Wait...the shard isn't here? But a beast brought it in here! How could we have missed it?" She paused as she thought about where else it could be. "Link, it looks like they've hidden it somewhere else while we were distracted by Stallord. So, it seems as though we have to look for it. I'll be in your shadow, so just like usual, if you need me, just call me. I'll try to help you in any way I can, so you don't have to worry about doing everything by yourself."

He felt a little lightheaded, but did his best to push through it, as he was taught countless times before, as he walked out of the hideout in search of the missing Mirror Shard. They started near the hideout, on the northern edge of the woods, but found nothing. They walked through the eastern side, but still they found nothing. The beasts were doing pretty well to hide it from them. Perhaps they had learned in the past era or so since the Twilight Era had passed?

Maybe the Water Dragon Faron has some information on it. In each province in this land, there is a dragon that watches over each one. There is Faron the Water Dragon, who watches over Faron Province. There is Eldin the Fire Dragon who watches over Eldin Province. And then Lanayru the Thunder Dragon, who watches over Lanayru Province. The Water Dragon resides in a great tree that grows at the heart of the forest, and from it's roots all other plant life grows. In a sense, the entirety of Faron Province was the one tree. It offered great protection for the dragon and it's servants.

As they walked, Link realized something about the voice he had heard before: that voice was the same one that belonged to Midna. It was her who was talking to him the whole time. But how? Could she have mastered telepathy? Or did he receive a message from the Goddesses in her voice?

Either way didn't make sense to him.


	30. Evil in the Water

He moved onto the southern edge of the woods first to see if he could find any clues there. He had still found nothing, so that was when he decided against searching the western edge and just find the dragon.

He had been through that tree countless times before, so he didn't waste too much time in finding Faron. She looked at him, recognizing him immediately from the other times they had met. They had seen each other before at least three or four times, so it wasn't too hard to remember him.

"Well, if it isn't little Link! What brings you here? And who is your friend?" She gestured to the imp that resided in his shadow.

"You can call me Midna. We're looking for a Mirror Shard, if you know what that is, and a bunch of monsters took it from us. We were just wondering if you knew where they might be."

"Unfortunately, I don't. While I look over this land, I have not seen any beasts since Demise was defeated, so I can't tell you where they would be. In truth, I am rather surprised that there are still any left after the whole mess. I thought for sure they would be gone…"

Midna sighed as she saw that Faron would be of no use to either of them. "Well then...it looks like we still have to look around. Sorry, Link, but we have to do this. Let's get out of here."

He nodded without hesitating and moved on, out of the tree and into the rest of the woods. They didn't check the western edge, so they headed there. He neared a small lake, so he stopped there for a moment to rest. The lightheadedness that he had earlier turned into something more serious. His heart pounded in his ears, and he felt as though he couldn't breathe. He raised a hand up to his forehead, as it had become too much to simply stand, and he had to sit down. But something kept him from doing so. A voice came out of nowhere and began to speak to him. Not like the one that called him to the woods. It sounded more...malevolent.

_Link...come closer…_

Although he didn't want to do as it told him, he found himself unable to resist. He looked at his reflection in the water and gasped. He saw himself, but it was a black shadow instead of a normal reflection, his eyes bright red. He tried to turn away, but found that he couldn't stop looking at the figure.

_I'm coming for you, Link…_

_W-what?_

_I'm coming…_

He couldn't take it anymore. His vision blurred, and he looked at Midna weakly before collapsing.

"Link?! What's happening?!"

He was seemingly lifeless, the only sign of life being his light breathing. Why did he keep passing out? Sure, he was sick, but he's been sick for the past two weeks or so, with no sign of recovery whatsoever. It was as if something was causing this. Something evil. She couldn't stand to see him so helpless. It tore at her heart to see him like this.

_We will meet again, Link…_

_What? Who are you?_

_You know who I am…_

_Just tell me who you are!_

_Don't you want it?_

_He gasped. He remembered that very line from somewhere. Yes, back in the Era of Creation! He remembered that voice tormenting him without end...wanting him to claim the complete power of the Goddesses for himself...he remembered it well._

_I don't want it, and you know it._

_I know you don't. After all, you already have it...right at that statue of yours… And now, your job is to take it, and use it to conquer the world with me…_

_No! I won't hurt anyone!_

_So, that's how you want it? Well, I'm sure that we will see each other again soon… I am searching for you, and your voice right now gives away your little hiding spot… You're mine…_

He was jolted awake with a scream that split the twilight. Midna was sent flying by the sudden outburst. She looked at him, horror in his eyes. She could just tell that he was trying to forget what he had witnessed in his dream.

"Link, what is it?"

It was futile trying to speak to him at this point. He was too terrified to explain anything or even listen. Even Fi, who was normally devoid of any emotion, was worried for him.

"Master, I sense an altering in your current emotional state. What is it that plagues you?" That was the closest she could get to expressing any real emotion.

He still wouldn't explain.

"Fi, he can't tell us right now. It's best to leave him alone." And that is exactly what they did. He was trying as hard as he could to comprehend what he had heard, but to no avail. The voice was always at the edge of his mind, not fully revealing itself. It unnerved him to simply think about it. Midna looked on in fear for the hero as he seemed to be slowly unraveling at the seams. And she didn't even know what it was that was bothering him, which scared her even more. It could be something potentially dangerous, and she didn't know what it was. She hovered over next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Link...as much as it bothers you, I need you to tell me what it is."

He nodded and went on to explain what he had heard, from the voice to the vision of a dark form of himself in the lake. She closed her eyes as she thought about what it could be. Then it hit her.

"That sounds like...Dark Link."

He looked at her in wonder as to what this Dark Link was.

"Dark Link is a mischievous being who existed since the beginning of time. With his followers, Shadow Link and Fierce Deity Link, they have searched for their leader...you. You were once a being known as Twilight Link, who had obtained the complete power of the Goddesses. With it's virtues, you attempted to destroy the world, until the Goddesses intervened. You waged a war against them, the first War of Twilight. It ended in the Goddesses being the victors, and they stripped you of your power, leaving you helpless to them. They then cursed you, so you would be reborn every one hundred years, burdened with the responsibility of saving Hyrule, the ancient kingdom, Land of the Gods."

Hyrule...Dark Link… It all sounded so familiar to him. As if he had experienced these things before, which he had.

"I think Dark Link is the reason you're sick. He's trying to weaken you so you will be an easier target. Then he will use you to help him take the world as his own. He existed last era as well, and he was following us, I believe. He was observing how strong we were so he could analyze exactly how he could go about his plan. He saw you as powerful and did this to you. You must be on your toes at all times, for you never know when he will appear."

He nodded and stood up to get moving. Midna dove back into his shadow as he continued exploring the western woods. He did find a clue. It was more than he had expected, too. He found a new hideout entirely. He felt the power of the Mirror Shard in there, so it had to be there. He darted in there, despite his entire body protesting, as he was ready to get this over with.

It turns out that the hideout was much bigger than he had anticipated. There were traps littered about the entire first room. It looked more like a dungeon to him. Midna seemed just as surprised as he was.

"Yeah, I didn't expect it either. It just looks weird to me. But, it is familiar to me, as it should be to you as well. Just different places make up the difference of our knowledge. But this still doesn't mean that we should have too much trouble with it...right?"

Well, they did have trouble with it anyway. Beasts came out of nowhere and everywhere at the same time. The traps were nearly impossible to avoid, and at one point Link had gotten himself caught in one, just escaping in the nick of time before the monsters got him. But it pretty much paled in comparison to what he had to face before, it was just similar. At one point, they came across old paintings that were far too sophisticated to have been made by those ugly beasts. They depicted a hero who would come to save everyone from a war. It looked like it was made thousands of years ago, as it also depicted the four Goddesses descending in the forms of humans to create a land known as Hyrule.

They ignored them, as they didn't have too much importance to them at the time, and just continued on with what they were doing in the first place. Midna saw that Link was growing more and more tired with each step he took, and noticed how desperately he was trying to hide it, but was failing miserably. She truly did feel sorry for him at that moment; he was being forced to do what the Goddesses told him, without even a second to think about what he wanted. It had been imprinted in his mind over time that no matter what state he was in, he had to press onward with his journey. But she also admired him at the same time. She admired how persistent he was when his mind was set on something. That was one of his many traits that she liked about him.

The traps in that place only increased with each room, and they also became more dangerous. Boulders fell from the ceiling at all times, and they always had to be on the move, avoiding the ground spikes at the same time. It was an exhausting task, to be sure. Midna had trouble hanging onto his shadow, as he was always jumping around to avoid the traps. But where had the monsters gone? They hadn't seen any since the first room. If they were hiding, then that would really be something. Normally, those things don't cower in fear of the predator. They attack the predator, no matter how big or strong.

They made it into one room, however, that was loaded with them. They all charged at him, cleavers raised high above their heads. Link quickly eradicated them one by one, as they were holding their weapons so high that they were leaving themselves open to attack. So it turns out that the huge group dwindled quickly, almost too fast. But it was still slower than usual for him, as he was exerting himself too much.

"Link? Why don't you take a break? I'll make sure nothing happens to you."

He nodded and dropped onto the floor, instantly asleep. She let her weightless form sink down next to him, remaining on guard all the while. Of course, dozing off was one of her own traits, and she can't help it. She did so several times during her watch, but was always one to snap back to reality before long. However, at one point, she fell asleep completely, and was unaware of what was happening. Two Moblins saw them and called others to help them take them away into a dungeon. They aren't the quietest creatures, however, and startled them awake. They saw this and called one of the others to knock them out. Of course, it was easier to take care of Midna than it was for Link. Midna was smaller and more susceptible to attack, but Link was stronger, and could sustain more damage. So they called in one of their stronger guards to take care of the job for them, and he did pretty well. With just a single strike, he was down. Normally, he wouldn't be that weak, but seeing as how tired he already was, it made it easier.

They were both thrown into separate rooms so they couldn't find a way out together. That would lessen their chances of escaping by a great amount. Midna woke only a short time after, but Link was still out cold. They were in rooms right across from each other, so they could still see the other. She called his name continuously for hours, but he did not come to. He could still hear her, though, he just couldn't wake up. He was trapped in a subconscious prison, and he saw no way of breaking free. It was like something just...held him down. He couldn't explain it, but it felt like a huge force weighing him down, rendering him useless. All he could do was wait for the force to let up. He tried calling out to her, hoping that she would hear.

_Midna...help me…_

He was lucky that Midna could read minds. She picked up his faint call. At first, she thought he was awake, until she realized that he couldn't talk. It tore at her heart to hear him so helpless. Using some of her Twilit magic, she easily broke free of the prison and ran to his, breaking the bars so she could get him out of there. But he wouldn't budge, no matter how hard she tried to pick him up. Something truly _did_ seem to weigh him down. He continued calling to her all the while, seeming to grow more faint by the second.

She could hear him trying to wake up through his thoughts. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of struggle, the weight decreased, just enough so she could lift him. She knew that he tried his best to push his way past the sickness, but wasn't able to.

_Midna…_

She could hear his thoughts again, which meant that she could probably wake him up. She tried shaking him gently at first. Thankfully, she didn't have to cause an earthquake just to wake him up. He responded immediately, a little dazed at first until the pain of being hit in the head occurred. He raised a hand up to his head, as the lighting in the room was unbearable. He then took notice of Midna. He looked at her, happy to see her again. Then he felt cold. He started shivering, and Midna saw that in his current state he wouldn't last long like this.

"Uh, what do you say we get out of here? Let's just find the Mirror Shard and go."

He nodded without a moment's hesitation and jumped up. He saw that there was only one way to go, so that made things a little easier for them, as it wasn't a maze or anything. Sure, there were several hundred Moblins on patrol or just walking around leisurely, but they were weaker than the bigger ones. They came to see that there were more of them the further in they went, and Link seemed upset to take the lives of all these creatures without just cause. It was saddening, but they knew that they had to.

Near the heart of the place, there were thousands of Moblins guarding their treasure, and they were the bigger, stronger ones. No little ones around here. Truly they loved that mirror, just as much as any other possessed person would. They hacked away at them together, for these were a formidable threat. Midna with her Twilit magic and Link with the Master Sword. Together, they made a great duo. The other lesser Moblins saw to it that they didn't go without a huge fight. Those they didn't have to worry about as much, so they focused primarily on the larger of the group. The worst that happened during the fight was Link taking a rusty cleaver to the sword arm, but that was liveable, compared to what he had gotten back in the previous era. Just as they were finishing off the last of them, the mirror came into view. Midna hovered over to it, followed quickly by Link.

"That…is what a mirror shard looks like. There are two more, so we must find them." She smiled as she thought of how that would be done, if it would be easy with this new Link or not. She quickly wiped the smile away. "But for now, we have to find the second one in Eldin Volcano. The Fire Dragon should have it, if I'm correct. He should have it locked away in some sort of dungeon that we have to go through." She eyed the cut that Link had gotten to his arm. It wasn't large enough to be fatal, but it could still be bad if left untreated. "Uh, we should take care of that." She whipped out bandages from nowhere and hastily hovered over to his arm, where she quickly wrapped it up. "There. Now we can go."


	31. Fake Dragon and Forgotten Dragon

Across the world they traveled, toward the volcanic lands of Eldin. Much easier to travel province to province because they now live on the surface. There weren't nearly as many monsters as there were before they found the hideout, to their relief. The heat of Eldin quickly hit them as they left the woods. It was hotter than usual, which was a surprise, seeing as how volcanoes are always boiling with lava. It was hard to see anything because of the volcanic ash floating around everywhere. Last time Link was here, it was at least a little cooler. The intense heat reminded him of something...somewhere he had been a long time ago. The something Mines…

"The Goron Mines, right? That's what you're trying to remember?"

It suddenly clicked in his mind. He remembered the unbearable heat, and losing his memory, which he had never really regained.

"The Fire Dragon should be around here. We should start looking within his lair. That means you have to go up to the summit to find him. That shouldn't be too hard, right? You've been here before."

The summit was farther away than they hoped, so it would take at least a day or so to make it there. They started, careful to avoid the lava that shot up at them. Link's shadow was the only thing keeping Midna from burning up, and she was starting to envy the Fireshield Earrings that he wore. But it was a gift from Din, so she couldn't blame him for being the only one with fire protection. But those earrings will burn up in a second if touched by any lava here. They were just meant to protect one from heat, not lava itself.

The sun was setting, and the second day before the war had gone. If they could use a portal, they could, but the portals of Eldin Province have long since disappeared after the last era. She remembered the message Link had received in Faron Spring back then. _Link… you are in danger in all three lifetimes…_ The meaning was still unclear, but she would find out what it meant if it was important. She then also remembered the message she had received. _You have a power far greater than any Triforce ever before heard of…_ What did it mean, and who was it from? While she was daydreaming, she had just barely noticed something flying through the air at a slow speed up ahead.

"Up ahead! The Fire Dragon!" Midna called out, happy and surprised. "What's he doing out of his lair? What would a Sage of Fire be doing away from it's own place? We should investigate, ask it questions. Maybe we will be able to find out if something is wrong, and maybe even find where the second piece of the Mirror of Twilight is! Let's go, Link. He's not far from here."

They didn't travel long, but it was still a challenge for them, for there was more lava and more eruptions from the volcano as they got closer to the old dragon, and they had to dodge every flame that came their way, or risk being burned to death. It was their choice, but they would rather make it to the dragon in one piece, and with their bodies in tact.

"Hey, Fire Dragon! Down here!" Midna yelled when they drew nearer.

The dragon looked down weakly. "You there! I recognize you from somewhere. Where do you hail from, young warriors of the Light World?"

We come from…well, Link here comes from the sky, apparently, and I come from the Twilight Realm. We are in search of the Mirror Shard that was hidden here back in the Twilight Era. Do you know of it's whereabouts?" That's odd… Why wouldn't Eldin recognize Link?

"I have it, yes. But these lands are too hot and brutal for you. I would get it for you, but you see, I am sick and don't have enough strength to keep flying. Do you know where the Tree of Life is? It's somewhere around where Hyrule Castle used to be. You will see ancient ruins around it, where it grows. Bring back a sprout from the tree, and give it to me. It has the capabilities to heal me. But beware, for monsters have made a hideout in there, as you've seen in Faron Woods, if you recall. You know where the castle used to be, right? It lies somewhere in a hidden region long forgotten over the ages. If I remember correctly, it should be somewhere in this province, an area that is quite odd. It is sheathed in ice, not fire, and lies on the outskirts of this land. Find the tree, and bring back a sprout for me, and I can give you the Mirror Shard you seek."

It was hidden alright. The place was nearly impossible to find, and they thought they checked every inch of Eldin Province. They checked every place on the map, and no place had ice, like the Fire Dragon said. They had one more spot to go to, and it doesn't have a chance of being covered in ice, because it's inside the crater of the volcano. But they had to check anyway, because from what they've seen, anything can happen.

The dragon spoke truly when he said the land was hotter than it should be, because the crater was actually starting to burn them. Midna had to carry Link out of there because he passed out from the heat. Well, at least the Fireshield Earrings did their job in keeping him from burning up. They had no time to waste. When he woke up, they immediately started to search again.

"Look over there! It's blue. We should investigate over in there to see if it's what we are looking for."

When they came to the blue land, they were hit by a cold front. It felt nice compared to what they've been feeling thus far. This was the Land of the Blue Ice. Down below the ice somewhere was Hyrule and it's remains. They had to dig down there if they were to find the Tree of Life.

"Link, you have to remember this! It's Hyrule, where you once lived! Maybe if we can get down there fast enough, three things will happen: one is that an evil force from the last era will be released back into this world, two is that we can get the fruit from the Tree of Life, and three is that you might have some memory restored of that era. We have to go down there by the end of the week and bring back the fruit, or we will not be able to collect the last of the mirror before the war starts. And I have an idea." With those words, Midna created a giant hand from her hair and pounded the ice, freeing the ruins of Hyrule from it's prison. "Now let's go. We have no time to dawdle today."

In the Hyrule Castle courtyard, Link's mind flashed with vague memories of the past. This castle brought back faint memories of rescuing Princess Zelda. Back in a different time, not the Twilight Era, and not the Sky Era, either. But it was a special one, of which was in a song he tried to remember. It was about traveling in time.

"You are trying to remember Zelda's Lullaby, aren't you? It goes as so:

_The Hero_

_of ancient legend_

_will come to save us from danger._

_He will pull_

_the Master Sword and_

_travel seven years in time…_

_I've waited seven years,_

_trapped in a Sheik disguise,_

_there to teach Link the skills he needed…_

_The Hero,_

_bearing the Triforce,_

_will come to save us from danger._

_With Power,_

_Wisdom and Courage,_

_he will slay evil…_

_With the power of Time,_

_he will defeat Ganon,_

_and restore Hyrule to it's peace…"_

Link closed his eyes and thought about the song while Midna sang. How was it so familiar to him that he could've sworn he'd heard it before? Did Zelda…?

"That is what you were remembering, wasn't it? Zelda's Lullaby? It is a great song only to be sung by the princess herself and her closest. I must be her closest, or you, but you don't talk, so that makes all the difference. But now we have to find the Tree of Life and bring a sprout to the dragon. Also, I have a question for you: why didn't Eldin recognize you?"

He shrugged and continued deeper into the ice covered landscape to explore. Hyrule was a torn mess, with rubble all over, and skeletons in the closet, literally. Skeletons were everywhere, along with weapons strewn about. Signs of fire were printed on the rubbish, which signified that the war had spread there a long time ago. But the war hadn't even started yet, and the Twilight Era ended over a hundred years ago, and the war wasn't thought of in that era, so what was going on?

They walked at a more leisurely pace than before, for they had much time to use, but not much to waste. An entire month was plenty of time for them to find the last of the mirror and restore his memory.

There was a flash of light, and Link stepped forward, while Midna had the instinct to stay behind. He stopped in front of a pool of water, where he assumed ice had melted underneath.

_Link… It's good to see you again…_

_Great Fairy? Are you the legendary Great Fairy, who meets with the hero in every lifetime?_

_Yes… You are the Hero of Time, as you know… You are in great danger… A great evil lurks in the shadows of your footsteps…_

_Who is it? What is this great evil?_

_...The three Links…_

_What? But I'm Link. Who else could be me?_

_You will know, but trust me… You want to be cautious in the War of Twilight… You must win, or the world will be engulfed in darkness for eternity… You must win…and beware of your dark spirit…it lies dormant now, but it will reawaken…_

_Wait! I have one more question. How can we read each other's thoughts right now? And why can't I talk?_

_We can read each other's thoughts because we are as spirits… Spirits never talk... In your heart you will find the answer to why you can't talk… I have told you that last era… The answer is within you… You just have to find it… Good luck, Link… I… all of the world… is counting on your victory…_

"...The Great Fairy. She talked with you again, didn't she?" Midna asked when Link recovered his mortal senses. "You know what that means? It means that she will come once more, and that one more time is when a great tragedy comes. I don't know what it means, but I hope the incident won't be too bad. Though I already have a feeling of what it is… But for now, let's find the tree and get out of here. Your lives literally depend on what I do with the shards."

The ruins of the castle were all one big reunion with the previous era. Hyrule was rubble, but the connection between Link, Zelda, Midna, and Hyrule were still strong, being in it their entire lives. The mirror's presence was strongest in the throne room, inside the statue of the Goddesses, within the statue of the Triforce. That was where an old legend was.

"We're here." Was all she could say at the moment. Midna then remembered the legend that was up there. Her legend. She knew it would be complete soon, after the war, she assumed.

The throne room was still completely intact, though a thousand years old. It was as though it was just built, it looked so new. Midna flew up and began to read the updated legend. She was excited to see what it said until she read it.

_In the midst of the war, a great tragedy will occur upon the hero and the two princesses… It is a life-threatening tragedy that it's victims will never fully recover from… The Twilight Princess will be within the mountains with a hero in danger…but the legend continues…_

"Link, the legend is still incomplete. We have to finish our legend, we have to. I need the second Mirror Shard, so let's find the tree and get it's sprout."

The tree grew into the statue of the Goddesses, so it wasn't that hard to find to them. The sprout was easy to collect, and hard to carry. The seed was so big that Link hurt his back just picking it up, so Midna offered to carry it for him. The dragon was waiting for them outside the ruins. They both jumped when the suddenly saw Eldin. He looked rather emotionless, not sick. Link already set that example.

"Ah, I see you came back alright, mostly. Quickly, give the sprout to me!"

"Wait, dragon. If you are Eldin, why didn't you recognize Link?"

"Of course I recognize him! He's a servant of Demise, of course I know him."

Link laughed from the sidelines at the fake Fire Dragon's pathetic display as Midna grew furious. "Seriously? If you were going to pretend to be Eldin, you'd better start practicing. Now just take your stupid seed and go, pest!"

Even Link was thrown to the ground by her outburst. Never had she yelled like that before on their travels! He shrugged it off and struggled to pull the seed back out. He hurt his back again to throw it up into the air. The dragon quickly ate it, then looked at them as if they were idiots.

"Thank you, fools! Now that you healed me, I can kill you! Demise would be so pleased, so make this quick for me. Your dead bodies would serve well for the Demon King."

The Fire Dragon turned black, and it's fire was now purest malice. Link was too hurt to even pull out his sword, and that was a surprise, looking back on how much he'd done before that should've killed him. Midna saw this and stopped him.

"Link, I can't stand to see you like this. Let me handle this. You just sit back and rest while I take care of the dragon." He did as he was told to, and he stared in awe as he saw Midna create the biggest sword he had ever seen. It looked like the Master Sword, but it was gold. Where the crest of the Triforce on the sword should be, it was there, but only the one in the center, the upside-down one, was glowing. The others were black. Is there a fourth one? And if there is, Power, Wisdom, and Courage. What could the other one be? In truth, it would be one that was more powerful than the others most likely, since it would be an unknown power. He thought to himself. He had a theory, but wasn't sure.

Midna's sword worked well against the Fire Dragon, or the fake Fire Dragon. However, with one smack of his hand, Midna was sent flying toward the ground. He held his own sword, and was ready to kill her. How many times had she almost died? Link had to make one final desperate move. Though it hurt, he pulled out his sword and threw it as hard as he could into the dragon's eye. It shrieked in pain, but didn't blow up like the others. Instead, it lay there on the ground.

"You've done well, for a human and an imp… Here it is. The way to the temple I have hidden the shard in…" The dragon returned to it's original state. "I was possessed by a great power unknown to all… And you may need this… Your sword holds a greater power, that of Power, Wisdom, Courage, and-"

Before the dragon finished, it died, the Master Sword falling to the ground. Midna picked it up and gave it back to Link.

"I think it's safe to say we should move on. He left us a portal to the temple, so we should be in and out of there in less than two day's time. So, are you ready?"

He was more than ready to go, and he showed that with his eagerness to pass through the portal into the sanctuary. Inside, it was considerably cooler than it was outside, but still hot. Midna was protected, so she didn't have to worry, but Link was having trouble. They barely made it through half of the first room before he was exhausted. He was forced to take a break without making it through the first room.

"It's fine, Link. I'll wait as long as you need."

That was a nice change from the way she used to act back last era. She would always rush him and push him, even when he was on the verge of dying. She must've learned from then that she couldn't do that to him. It seemed to have been permanently imprinted in his mind, however, that he had to move on no matter what, because he didn't rest for more than five minutes, which was about how long she would give him before her patience ran out. This time, she was truly patient enough for him. She didn't object, however, when he wanted to get going almost right away.

They finished the first room and moved deeper into the inferno. It seemed to cool down a little more in here than it did in the other room. As if the deeper you go into the volcano, the cooler it becomes. Despite being a shadow, Midna noticed this as well and was relieved that the heat was giving her hero a break. Even if just for a little bit.

This room was completely covered in lava. The only safe spot there was to walk were these little platforms that were littered everywhere. They were highly unstable, however, and on too many occasions they had nearly fallen in. Luckily, they've been able to keep their balance, even just barely. For them, it was enough for them just to know that they were going to live another day in there. But that didn't mean that they didn't want to get out of there. Midna remembered all too well what it had been like in the Goron Mines, and she never wanted to relive it again.

By the time they were in the third room, they were about ready to turn back. Monsters infested the entire room, with lava comprising nearly all of the floor, and the same unstable platforms as in the other room. He whipped out the bow and arrows and shot one after another until they all noticed and charged. He took out a few more with arrows until they were too close for comfort. In one fluid motion, he pulled out his sword and sliced through the first beast. These ones were known as Lizalfos, and they resembled lizards, as described by their name. They used their right or left arms as shields, which were covered in a stone material, while they used their other arms and tails to attack. This made it much harder, because they had to made them somehow let their guard down so they could hit them.

Most of them didn't put up too much a fight, fortunately, but a few still persisted. He put them in their place without hesitation, despite what he was taught as a kid. When he was young, he was raised to not kill, as were the rest of the people. This was one of the many ways they had kept peace in their home Skyloft. But now, since he became a Hylian Knight, he's had no choice but to do just that. Sometimes, he wished fighting never existed, and that everyone could live in peace, but he knew that wouldn't happen any time soon.

One Lizalfos snuck up behind him, and Midna's call came too late. Just as he was turning around, the lizard's shield arm bashed him punitively in the head, instantly rendering him unconscious. That was what infuriated Midna the most, the fact that he never gets a break from these idiots. Using nearly all of her ancestors' magic, she created a huge burst of lightning, which hit every single beast in the room; she was careful not to hit Link. Once every monster was dead, she rushed over to her friend. A pained expression was plastered onto his face, even though he wasn't awake to know. The strangest part was, he was doubled over, his left arm wrapped tightly around his middle. He didn't appear to be injured, so she didn't know why he did that. Had her magic hit him? No, that can't be. She specifically made sure that she wouldn't hit him.

He gasped as he was startled awake when she gently placed a hand on his shoulder. He immediately grabbed his head, as he remembered he was hit in the same exact spot as last time. He looked up and met his worried friend's one eyed gaze.

_I'm sorry...I was knocked out again…_ He thought, knowing that Midna would read his mind.

"Don't worry about it. Let's just move on."

He closed his eyes as she was talking. He had begun to feel dizzy, as the heat was getting to him. She saw this and tried to keep him awake.

"Link, I need you to stay awake for me. You have to keep going, okay?"

He hardly even heard her. He strained to hear, but realized he couldn't, no matter how hard he tried. His vision was nothing but a swirling mist of colors, and he forced them shut again, as it made his head spin.

"Can you even hear me?"

He looked back up, his eyes open just a slit.

"I said we have to move on. If you stop and take a break here now you'll probably not be able to get back up again."

He nodded and got to his feet. He was still dizzy and couldn't see pretty much anything, but he would try to go anyway. And much to his disliking, the next room was once again littered with monsters. They all saw him and charged, like last time. He didn't take down a single one before they overpowered him. He didn't even bother to fight back, as he knew he couldn't in his current state. To Midna it looked like he was giving up. She didn't know fully what was happening, but helped nonetheless. She finished off the ones that weren't stupid enough to fall into the lava when they ran. She cursed him under her breath all the while, because she knew he wouldn't hear.

"You know, this might as well be called The Legend of Midna, for Din's sake! I'm the one doing all the work while you sit back and watch!" She used some of the old Midna's tone just for effect. She didn't truly want to be mean to him after making him go through how much he did.

When she finished the last of them, she hovered over to him. When her gaze fell on him, he did not return it. He seemed to be _shivering_. Of all places to be cold, it had to be here?

"Really? You're cold? It's like a hundred thousand degrees in here!"

His hearing still had not returned to him, so he didn't know Midna was talking. She gave him the first slap in the face he's had from her in a while when she grew impatient. Needless to say he was surprised that his friend hit him, but whatever. He had a feeling for a while that she would do something of the sort sooner or later.

He stumbled to his feet to get going, as he could just make out her eye staring into his soul, as it felt. That was what mostly kept him going: that stare of her's that can penetrate one's thoughts. It gave him the strength to continue when others could not. He may have the Triforce of Courage, but he was terrified at the time. He was afraid of not succeeding in finding the strength to survive to the end, and stop the war. He was afraid that everyone he knew and loved would die because of him.

The end of that Goddess forsaken place was drawing near. Beasts that remained dwindled to almost non-existence. They could rest a little, knowing that they were coming near the end of their trek through the volcano. They would've ran if it wasn't for Link's current state. Instead, they took their time, or what they could pass off as hurrying. When they did make it to the end, they were greeted by a large cave. When they walked in, a little hesitant, another heat wave slapping them in the face. It was far hotter in here than it was throughout the entirety of the volcano. Something had to live here that was causing the heat.

The ground began to shake, as waves of lava splashed up all around them. It overshot them, and when the looked up, it felt like they were in a bubble. When that bubble of hot liquid hardened to form a barrier, Link was ready to break it with his sword. That is, until something else did the job for them. A huge dragon burst through the shield of rock, not even giving out a roar to indicate the battle was starting. It looked like…

_Volvagia!_ The name screamed in his mind and in Midna's pointed ears. She didn't know who Volvagia was, but if he did then she figured it was important to him.

"Alright, Link. Time to kill the thing!" She shouted to him over the sound of crumbling rock and volcanic eruptions. His hearing still hadn't recovered, and Midna was almost glad. He would've gone completely deaf for good if he could hear in that instance. Using his bow, he shot a single arrow right into the eye of the beast. With only one working eye, it should be easier. But of course not. It had just as good of an aim as it had with two eyes. It prepared to fire at them, and luckily Link had a Hylian Shield, which was metal and blessed by the Goddesses, therefore is indestructible. But even that shield didn't protect him from the heat of the fire itself as he held it up to the searing flames. He could feel his hand burning up, but at least it wasn't his entire being.

The flames didn't let up for a solid minute, as his hand was ready to give up altogether. At least the dragon had to take a break once in a while to catch it's breath. He used the next opportunity to let another arrow soar. It split the first arrow, it was so accurate. He knew that he would have to get the other eye, though, if he would stand a chance against it. So he once again had his shield at the ready when he saw the fire welling up in Volvagia's throat. But it had deceived him. By making him think that he would be pelted with fire, he let his guard up more toward his face, so he didn't expect the dragon to stop and flick it's tail around, knocking him on his back. The intense heat kept him there, but he still let arrows fly. He wouldn't surrender to a dragon. It just wasn't in his nature.

And Midna admired that as well.

She liked his nature.

One shot in particular hit the dragon right in the throat. When it started shrieking for the first time in the battle, he knew he had to fire there. Thing was, he was almost out of arrows, so when he did run out, he didn't know what to do. He had hit it in several spots, but it was still going strong. He wasn't about to surrender, however, as it felt like he'd done that too many times. Instead, he took out his clawshot, aimed right at the collar around it's neck, and fired. It latched onto the collar, and he was yanked up to it. Holding onto the clawshot with one hand, he took his sword in the other and thrust it right through. It began thrashing around, causing Link to lose his grip on the clawshot. It fell uselessly into the lava and burned up. He hoped he wouldn't need that anytime soon. Now, he was just dangling off a dragon's neck by a sword. Midna jumped out of his shadow to help, but he didn't seem fazed by it. He didn't seem in the least bit scared or anything. Instead, he just held onto the hilt of the blade with barely any grip whatsoever. Midna was screaming at him, as his sense of hearing was starting to come back, but he knew what he was doing, and he prayed to Farore that it would work.

Volvagia thrashed endlessly around the room, and in one swing of his neck, he sent Link flying, the sword still in it's place. This was what he hoped would happen, because now he could just perform a simple backflip and land safely, and that's what he did. The dragon, however...it's safe to say that it gave in. But...the Master Sword fell in with Volvagia. He knew it would burn, as any other sword would, which meant he must've killed the sword spirit as well. He looked down into the lava with the world's heaviest sigh, the tear that escaped evaporating so quickly nobody would've noticed anyway, except Midna of course.

"Don't worry about it, Link. It's just a sword."

He seemed a little apprehensive when she said that, but gave in anyway, and she created her Twilit portal to take them out of there faster. Too bad he wouldn't get a break from the heat.

But before he could pass through, a voice spoke up.

_Master Link…_

He whirled around and saw none other than Fi hovering there above him.

_Master, you must exercise extreme caution when handling the sacred artifact known to your people as the Master Sword… I salvaged the missing blade for your convenience...but you must be more cautious…_

He nodded and took the blade into his hand before sheathing it and walking to the portal.


	32. The Missing Link

They passed through the portal, and arrived in Lanayru Desert in no time at all, of which they were thankful for. It was hotter than it should be, and when they looked around they saw all the Timeshift Stones were gone. Timeshift Stones, like their name suggests, shifts time in the desert. They, when hit, shift it to past tense, where Lanayru used to be a luscious field filled with life. Not only were the stones gone, but there was an ominous cloud that covered over the entire desert, and it looked as though it was coming from where Arbiter's Grounds used to be. Without the Timeshift Stones, how were they going to reach Lanayru Gorge, where the Thunder Dragon is? And if all of the stones are gone, does that mean Lanayru Gorge is also in present day, which means the dragon is dead once more? Because without the shift in time, Lanayru the Thunder Dragon is nothing more than a fossil.

"I'm no genius here, but I think something is wrong. Isn't there supposed to be some sort of thing that shifts time, Link? Because I don't see anything but sand and what I assume to be the Temple of Time. We should see if there is another way to find Lanayru, because I don't like what I am seeing right now. This probably means an extensive walk around the desert."

The desert heat was too intense to stay out in the open for extensive periods of time. Luckily there were plenty of caves around to take shelter in. That meant that they had to stay in those caves for a ridiculously long time as they were running scarce as they progressed through the desert. It proved to be a formidable challenge for them, as they had to hurry if they were to find a cave in time, but they couldn't wast too much energy either or they would die out there. At one point Midna passed out from the heat, and Link had to carry her and move on. But the heat was even to intense for him, since he had just come out of Eldin Volcano, as he too had collapsed. It was hours before someone had noticed them. Lanayru the Thunder Dragon was passing by with all the Timeshift Stones on his back when he found them lying on the ground. He immediately recognized Link and carried them both back with him to his cave.

They were in there for the next couple days, which wasted precious time, but they finally woke up. They only had a few days left until the war, for they had spent far too much time in Eldin.

"Ah, you're awake. I noticed you had passed out from the heat of the desert, so I brought you back here. Who's your friend?" Lanayru asked Link when he looked over at him.

"The name's Midna, close friend of his. You're Lanayru?" Midna responded.

"Yes, and it's very nice to meet you, Midna. Tell me, where do you come from?"

"I come from the Twilight Realm, and Link, well, you should know him well enough. Eldin the Fire Dragon said that you had the last piece of the Mirror of Twilight, is that true?"

"So many questions... I like it. I had hidden it in the ancient ruins of a temple located at the heart of the desert, but the problem with that is, it's under the quicksand, so you'll have to find a way under there. There should be a hidden path in one of the edges of the desert, so I suggest you find it. I hope that helps, but tell me, how are Faron and Eldin doing? I wanted to find out for myself, but it's too far away."

Midna hesitated to answer, due to what they did to Eldin. "Faron's alright, that's for sure, but…Eldin died after he was possessed by an evil power. Sorry, but we had to fight back, it was our only chance of surviving after he started attacking us. I hope you're not mad at us."

He let out a sigh that they thought would never end, until he began to speak again. "I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at whoever possessed him, because I lost a close brother due to the possession. Us dragons are brothers, and sister, and that's why we were chosen, because we have a special strength when we are together. But now that connection is lost because of the loss of the one with power, as you can tell by the name, just take out the first part and you get Din, and that's like with all the other names. Lanayru is Nayru, and Faron is Farore. We all watch over a province, and are given a small share of the designated Goddesses' power. But with Eldin gone, who's to watch over his province? We can't leave it unguarded, and no dragon can watch two at once, so what will we do?"

"I don't think you have to worry about that right now, but what corner of the desert do you suppose the hidden path is in?"

"I would guess you try the lower left corner first. I have a liking for that corner, and you should know why. After all, it _is _Nayru's corner on the Tetraforce. Good luck out there, and return safely! Oh, wait! One more thing. The secret to beating the heat is to take the shortest route there is. Here is a map of the desert. I highlighted the path you should take. It doesn't have any caves along the way, so you should be careful of how much energy you use, and be quick. I took all the Timeshift Stones so I could travel through the desert, so there won't be any left."

"Sounds fine to me."

They followed the route on the map that the dragon marked, and they were there in only half an hour, which is good, since they only have a day before the war starts. But how did Midna know exactly when it would break out? She was trapped in a block of ice only a month ago, for Din knows how long. While Link was reading the map and doing all the work, Midna simply stayed within his shadow and thought to herself. _I wonder where Link got his name from? It must be important, because it was passed down through lifetimes, for thousands of years. And I still want to know why he can't talk. Maybe the legend will say something soon, or even right now. What was his tragedy?_

They found the secret path right where Lanayru told them to look, but now they need to find out how to get in. That thing looked too small for either of them to crawl through, and what in Hylia's name is down there waiting for them?

"Link, it looks like there is a hole, but only I can fit in, so I guess you'll have to wait out here while I go in. It will only take a moment, I promise." She lied. She knew it would take a while, and that hole was big enough for him to jump through, but she knew that he didn't know, and besides, she needed time to herself to think. She can't have anyone else around to distract her, and she could find the Mirror Shard while she did this. She headed in, and she was glad that it was only her, because the dungeon was far too small for Link to fit in, which would explain the size of the hole, being just big enough for him.

She started to look around, and saw that there was a locked door ahead. She could break locks easily, being supernatural. She simply pulled it off and passed through, but what she saw ahead was a giant maze of passageways. It was then that she realized that she still had the Hylian necklace on, which gave her the wisdom of Zelda. But it seemed as though it didn't work too well on mazes, as she found out in the Nayru Forest when she was only a baby so many years ago. Several paths revealed themselves to her, but she had to pick one, which automatically eliminated the one in the middle, as she can see a dead-end there. She picked the one on the far left, and started heading down. She _would_ just fly over it, but the walls of the maze extended all the way to the ceiling, so she couldn't. Midna was glad that there was a dead-end early in the path, because if she reached one deep in the pathway, she would be mad. And nobody has to say how mad, because you would know if you paid attention to the Nayru Forest. She did hate feeling so angry, so she tried not to get that way again. And hopefully she wouldn't have to.

_Alright, so there's a dead-end there, too. That eliminates two paths already, and there are thirteen to go. This should be easy enough already. As long as the paths end early, it's fine._ Midna thought to herself as she turned back to pick the next path. But this time, the path didn't end so early. It was over halfway through the path when it ended. _Wait one moment. If this is a maze, why don't the paths intertwine?_ She wondered. It wasn't even a maze at all, but just a bunch of passageways with dead-ends. She soon became tired of all the ends, and started rushing through. The walls were made out of obsidian, a material she cannot break. She didn't know why, but Twilit magic was just unable to break it. But as she came closer to the center, the power of the Mirror of Twilight grew stronger within Midna. _Strange… And I thought that I had to make it to the other side of the maze to find the mirror, but it seems as though I really have to make it to the center. Maybe I have to make it to the other side first, and then figure out what to do. So for now, I probably have to go to the other side, unless there's a path on this side that will lead directly to it._

Outside, Link waited silently for Midna to return. He was growing impatient, as the sun was setting on the final day. Something lurked in his shadow, in his very footsteps, that he did not know of. Suddenly, there was a white streak in the twilight, and the next thing he knew, the streak had cut his left hand. The being in his shadow showed himself at last, and it looked just like him, but all black.

"I am your worst nightmare. I am Dark Link, and whatever you fight for, I fight against."

That voice…

"Your era has come to an end. Now is the time for the era of darkness. I wish Demise were still here to see the moment I kill you, and will finally be done with the Hero of Time forever. But, that's in the past. Now, I will rule over the pathetic Light World." Dark Link spoke calmly and quietly, as if talking to a pet. "Oh, but you haven't learned about that yet, have you? You know, the Light and Twilight worlds? You sure are forgetful, aren't you, Link? I have lived through all generations of 'Mr. Important Hero', and I know all your secrets."

Mr. Important Hero…

"After all, you've been sharing them with Midna. The Twilight Realm and the Light World will collide on the final day, and that day will be known as the Dusk of Time. In other words, tomorrow. In just a few hours, the Twilight Military will send forth it's army, and crush this realm. You can sit back and watch, as a spirit, while the Dusk of Time comes. But now is not the time for talk. Now is the time to vanquish. I have the Triforce of Power, inherited from Demise, and the Triforce of Wisdom, stolen from Zelda. I only need two more, and that will be now. I hear that the Twilight Princess has the fourth one, and you have the third one, the Triforce of Courage. Let's fight, and be done with this."

Fourth Triforce…?

Link and Dark Link both drew their swords, and Dark Link's sword was like a dark Master Sword. Link was quick and decisive, but Dark Link was slow and powerful. Together, they were evenly matched. The two forces they have depends on how much good or evil there is in the world. They are both evenly distributed for the time being, but the moment one force grows greater than the other, that one will grow more powerful than the other. This means Link will grow stronger if good grows, and Dark Link will grow stronger if evil grows. They cannot fully destroy each other, however, because they will be reborn. Unless the Triforce is taken from either one of them, then they will be destroyed. That is the only way to get rid of them completely. It would've looked hilarious seeing two Links fighting if anyone happened to pass by.

"One path left. Finally, I can go to the Mirror Shard and get it. I am running out of time, so I must hurry, or the War of Twilight will begin, and we will be too late. I must take Link to the Twilight Realm to restore his memory of the Twilight Era if we have a chance of winning. But once we do have the full mirror, how will we find the old Mirror of Twilight?" Midna thought to herself as she headed down the last possible path. She finally found...nothing. It was a false feeling she had. Well, at least a portal to another ungoddessly place was there. Maybe the Mirror Shard was there, wherever _there_ was.

She took her chances and dove through.

Link was being slowly overpowered by his counterpart, his remaining strength slowly dwindling. Dark Link saw his chance and sliced at him. Though he tried to go for the heart, he only succeeded in cutting his head. It was still damage, though, but not enough. This battle continued for quite a while, but it was cut short.

Dark Link heard Midna heading back out of the cavern. "Looks like it's time for me to go. Enjoy the new look, my counterpart!" As quickly as he had come, he was gone, leaving Link on the ground. Midna saw him when she came back out. Her eyes widened when she took in the sight.

"Link, what happened to you? I think you should rest for a while."

He shook his head in reply and stood up to get moving.

"No, you're going to stay right here and rest. I have the last Mirror Shard, so tomorrow we head up to find the broken Mirror of Twilight."

He sighed and layed back down on the ground. He was asleep before he hit the ground. Midna didn't sleep. She couldn't. So she simply waited until morning. But eventually, she dozed off into a dreamless sleep.

_You must learn this song, Midna…it is the key to healing…_

_Day to night, dark to light,_

_fall the Sands of Time._

_Let the years, like the gears_

_of a clock unwind._

_In your mind, walk through time,_

_back to better days._

_Memories, like a dream,_

_wash tears away…_

_Like a star in the sky,_

_darkness can't reach you._

_Light the night, joy is light,_

_till the new dawn._

_Cast away your old face,_

_let go your spite._

_With this mask I ask to borrow your light…_

"Link! Wake up Link! We're late!" Midna woke Link up abruptly at dawn. He saw that it was only dawn, groaned, and went back to sleep. Midna slapped him in the face. "Wake up! We won't make it in time if we dawdle any longer. The Mirror of Twilight is within our grasp, and the war is today!" She then remembered that Link's left arm was bleeding out, and the Crest of the Triforce on his left hand had been cut through. It looked like he had a small head wound as well. But they couldn't stop anyway.

"I know you're hurt, but we can't rest anymore. We have to find the Mirror of Twilight. Look, I'm just going to tell you what it is for. It doesn't have anything to do with any strategy to defeat evil forever. No, it's to restore your memory. We will restore your memory of the Twilight Era, so you can remember everything, even who I am. You think that I am merely an imp named Midna, but there is much more to it than that. Please, help me find the Mirror of Twilight."

Half asleep, Link nodded and stood up. "Thank you. The Mirror of Twilight should be in the desert, as it was last era. That means we should be nearby right now. In other words, it shouldn't take that long to find if we are quick enough. I can feel the presence of the Twilight Realm near where we stand now, so we will follow by that."

They traveled across Lanayru Sand Sea, a place that was once an actual sea, and found a hidden path near Skipper the Robot's Retreat. How had he not seen that before? They headed down the trail, and what they found was none other than Arbiter's Grounds. And right where the Mirror Chamber was, the portal from the Twilight Realm was still there, as well. But it was broken, so they could not use it. And to make matters worse, the entrance to the prison was blocked off entirely by time and weathering. They could not get in. This place had a familiar ring to it, just as it should.

"Alright, so we can't exactly get in directly, but prisons like this normally have another path in, created by those desperate to escape. The place was so well guarded, however, that the only one who could be capable of making a path would be Ganondorf, the thief. So, we should look for it and see what we can find. And I think that will be easy. Look over there. It looks as though Ganondorf already made one, as if it were for us. Don't worry. I know the place inside and out, so this should be a snap as long as not much has changed."

Midna led him inside, where they found that, as Midna had hoped, nothing seemed to change. With the help of Midna, he was able to avoid the quicksand that was still there, as it had never really gone away in the hundred some years. They were through in no time, and they found the same battle that Link and Auru fought Stallord the Twilit Fossil in. But as they were about to leave and assemble the mirror, something came in behind them. In an instant, Midna's right hand was cut through.

_Not again. Hadn't he already had enough?_ Link thought to himself as he saw a figure of shadows gather in front of them. But it wasn't Dark Link, like last time. But he did look similar, almost exactly like him.

"Link, it's so nice to see you. You and half of the Triforce within my grasp. You hadn't heard about the little princess's power, had you? Well, you'll find out soon, as I take it from you both."

"Who are you, and what do you want?" Midna asked the stranger.

"I am but one of four, you see. You must have met Dark Link, judging by how you look there, my counterpart. I am Fierce Deity Link, and with the Triforces of Wisdom and Power in my possession, as my dark brother gave them to me, I have one mission at hand for now, and that is taking the two Triforce pieces from you both. Tell me, Link. When you saw Midna's sword, did you notice the mark on it, how the middle triangle was gold, and the others black? That, my brother, is her power. And it's time to take both, no pun intended."

With one swing of his sword, the Fierce Deity swept Link aside, who was already weak. He laid there on the ground, motionless, as his enemy closed in on him. Midna didn't know what to do; this seemed to be his fight, not her's. But she didn't want to feel helpless, like she can't do a thing to help her friend, her hero.

_This is it, the day I die. I fall into the evil hands of my fierce counterpart, and it's all my fault for not being stronger. I will lay here, while my evil brother kills me. Goodbye, Midna…_

"I'm coming, Link!" Midna rushed towards him, but was tackled by Dark Link and Shadow Link, the third of the four Links of legend.

"Keep her there while I take care of him." Link closed his eyes, again, and waited for the end of his life. Fierce Deity Link threw his sword down at his head, and it barely missed him. He looked up in wonder when he found he was still breathing. The deity's soulless eyes met directly with his fearful ones. He enjoyed the fear and anguish he caused others.

"If I kill you now, the power I have worked so long for will leave you, and it will return to the Goddess Farore for a hundred years until you're reborn, and I will have to begin my search all over again. That is the only reason you're still alive, so in order to take the Triforce from your worthless soul, I will do something else. It will require a ritual, which is why Midna will have to stay down. Now come here and let me take it from you."

Midna tried to break free, but she was pinned down hard, rendered powerless. All she could do was watch as Fierce Deity Link took Link's power from him, and then she was next in line. It was over. "I'm sorry, Link. There's nothing I can do now." She shut her eyes and waited.

"One of two things will happen when I complete this ritual. One is you'll die, and two is you'll return to your former state, as the leader of our group, Twilight Link. I hope the second thing happens, but I wouldn't mind the first either. Now, let's begin."

He began to take Link's power from him, and it was a quick ritual. He was already nearly halfway done when something snapped in Midna. She began to glow with the holy power of the Triforce. She swept the two Links that held her down aside, and rushed toward Fierce Deity Link.

"Yes, the omnipotent Triforce of-"

"Give him back! Link is the Hero of Time, and he is a force to be reckoned with!"

"Oh, is that true? Because to me, he looks pretty tired. Does he look a little tired to you? I highly doubt that he can do anything now."

Link also began to glow with the Triforce of Courage, as it was being drained from him. Then he began to darken. Darken with the evil of Twilight.

"Link! No!" Midna screamed. She created her sword again, with the odd mark of the Triforce on it. "Give up, Fierce Deity! Good always wins over evil!"

"If that's right, why am I winning this war? It hasn't even started yet, and evil's winning. Soon, all that dark power will leak into the Light World, and there's nothing you can do about it."

It was a quick battle. With her love for Link keeping her strong, Midna held down the deity, and held her sword up to his throat. He simply sneered at her. He had no fear, for what should he be afraid of? A little powerless imp who found a little strength in love? It sounded dumb, just thinking about it.

"Fine, do it already! Even if you do kill me, the power I gained from Link will be permanently mine, and I will be reincarnated! You've lost this, and there's nothing you can do about it."

"Not if I take it back from you." With a flash of light, Fierce Deity Link was up in the air, and Midna drained the Triforce from him, leaving him on the ground. She left him there, and ran over to where Link was laying. "I hope this works..." She took the Crest of the Triforce into her right hand and returned it to him. It was just as quick as it was when it was being taken from him, which raised her hopes up even more. "Link, if you can hear me, please wake up!"

Link just laid there, unmoving. He was barely breathing.

"I'm…too late. Link…" She felt tears form in her eyes. What would the people of the earth think of their hero now? "_The hero chosen by the Goddesses, after struggling to save the world from ultimate evil, failed to stop a war that could've been easily prevented if he had just a little more strength."_ The more one thinks about it, the more stupid it sounds. But her sadness didn't last long, as she heard him moan. He awakened, as Midna hoped with all her life he would. He looked up at her, still in a bit of a daze from having a holy power stripped from him and then having it returned. That can be draining.

"Link! You're alright!" She ran to give him the world's biggest hug. He had no memory of what happened. "I will tell you what happened later. For now, we have to find the Mirror of Twilight and restore your memory of the last era. Follow me." He tried to get up and walk, but fell down again. He was too weak to even walk. Midna sighed and shook her head, as she thought she was stupid for not knowing he wouldn't be able to. "Here, I'll help you."

She helped him to stand up, and supported him as he walked out of Arbiter's Grounds into the light of the day. They walked up the old steps to the Mirror Chamber, where the broken Mirror of Twilight still stood on it's pedestal. They fixed it with ease, and it glowed with the beautiful light of the Twilight Realm. A portal to the Twilight Realm was formed once more, and this time, nobody could interrupt them. All Link could do was stare in awe, as he recognized that glow.

"The Mirror of Twilight, an ancient link between two worlds, has been here for thousands of years. It was broken by a force unknown. Now that it has been fixed, we can finally return to the Twilight Realm, my home dimension. As long as the mirror's still here, we may travel between worlds as we please. Let's restore your memory, and head to the Forest of Hylia."

They traveled through the portal that the mirror created, and found themselves in the Twilight Realm, a forgotten place of shadows. It had already fallen into ruin since the Twilight Era. If Midna had stayed and defended her hometown, she could have kept it all going. If she had stayed. But then she wouldn't be here now, since she would be dead. It was a twist of fate that she happened to return to the Light World and end up frozen in Faron Woods. How was that even possible for a tropical setting? But she couldn't think about that now. All she could think about was restoring Link's memory. She felt a pang of guilt as she remembered that she couldn't help him regain his memory last era. But now she was going to make up for it by restoring it all now.

"Follow me. I know just where to go."

Twili from the previous era all recognized her and bowed before her as she ran along. Twili can live for a thousand years if given that chance. She saw the familiar faces and was glad to be back home, but that wasn't the point of coming.

Midna led him up to the Palace of Twilight, where they found the old throne room. From there they could see the hole in the sky that Link created when he found out that she had died. At first, he just stared blankly at the throne. He didn't know what to do from there.

"Now, try to think of what happened here. Anything at all. You were looking for someone, and…"

He thought hard, as hard as he could. The only person he could think of that he would look for was Zelda. When he thought about Zelda, he remembered something else. He remembered her sacrificing herself for someone. And when he tried to think of that someone, he only saw Midna. She was reading his thoughts as he concentrated, just to see if he was coming close.

"So, you know that Zelda gave up her life for me, and…?"

He was a wolf at the time. For whatever reason, he had taken on a different form. Then he remembered the twilight, how he had first been forcefully pulled in by that Twilit monster…

"Your first transformation…"

He saw an imp that seemed to be Midna. He was chained up in a prison cell.

"I set you free…"

Then his mind jumped to the unbearable heat of Eldin Volcano. He remembered fully the Goron Mines.

"You were taken by the Gorons and thrown into a room with the patriarch…"

He saw himself drowning. He saw Midna screaming at him to swim up to the surface of the water.

"I saved your life in the Lakebed Temple when you were drowning…"

And then...Arbiter's Grounds. He couldn't help but think about that. Midna wasn't there for some reason.

"Why do you think I wasn't there?"

No mercy for him at that point. He saw himself...kill Midna. He had killed her, and he had run into a forest to hide from the Goddesses. Midna could see the distress and knew without reading his mind what he was thinking.

"You had killed me when pure, unbridled rage took over your entire being…"

Then, as if a light bulb went off in his mind, he remembered everything. The first wolf transformation. First meeting Midna. How they nearly died in Lanayru Spring. He had killed her. He had seen her spirit and the Goddesses come to him in the house he once lived in... He remembered all that had happened in the past. He looked at Midna, fell on his knees, and cried his heart out, because that was a true memory overload.

"Link, you big softy! Get up." Midna said happily when she knew that his memory was restored. "I think it's safe to say that you remember your previous lifetime, maybe even more, with our luck. Let's get out of here. I think the Twilight Army is leaving for the Light World, and we should follow them. Actually, let's speed ahead of them, seeing as how we are fighting against them."

He was shaking uncontrollably, as he couldn't stop his mind from wandering back to when he had killed her. It was something he could never forgive himself for. Link didn't listen to her. He didn't get up. He knew he couldn't.

"You're still weak, aren't you? I think it's just sadness that's getting to you this time. And, you're healed almost completely. Look, your arm and side are no longer bleeding out, and that head wound is a thing of the past. I think you're ready. Let's hurry to the Forest of Hylia."

It took a moment for him to calm down enough to respond. Midna warped him to the forest, using the portal from the Twilight Realm. It looked as though they were on time, because the Twilight Army was right behind them, ready to attack. All the Hylians were among the trees to take them by ambush. Just then, a familiar voice called out to them.

"Link! Midna! Get in the trees!" It was none other than Princess Zelda, with her spirit bow and arrows at hand. "We're outnumbered and outmatched, so that means we're going to catch them by surprise. Get up in that tree over there." She pointed over to an empty and leafy tree, perfect camouflage for Link, seeing as how he is wearing green. They did just as they were told. Now was the time for war. The War of Twilight.

"Wait for it…" One of them called out. The army continued to draw near, Link's heart racing as he tried to tell himself everything would be fine. But he'd never been in a war before, so he didn't know what to expect. "Now!" Immediately, arrows fired out of the trees at the enemy. Swordsmen charged at them, including Link. Then there were the air soldiers, like Midna. They were separated, just what Midna was hoping would not happen, but she couldn't be distracted by that.

I can't believe it. I am fighting my own people as if they were my true enemy, but they are cursed, so I cannot be thrown off like that. Zant, what have you done? Midna thought as she fought her way through the vast numbers.

It was a harsh battle, as the Dusk of Time was upon them. If they didn't win, the world would be destroyed entirely. Link was doing well, considering what he had been through. He killed many Twili, as did Midna. This was only the first day of the War of Twilight. Many more are bound to follow this one. It was a gruesome fight that they hoped they would never have to see again.

"I'm sorry, my dear people of the Twilight Realm, but this is what was destined to happen. I wish I could have prevented this all before it started." She said to herself as she dropped bombs. She was mercilessly killing all her people, and she couldn't get past that, even though she convinced herself that it was for the best that she did so. Finally, the Air Unit was to descend and join the others, which meant Midna could find Link and they could fight together. They made an extraordinary pair, as they were stronger together than they were apart. She fought her way through as she was looking for him, not concerned for herself. All she cared about was the safety of the ones she loved. That's what drove her on. Ensuring the safety of others. She had grown fond of the dwellers of the light, as much as she had the denizens of the Twilight Realm. Suddenly, she heard an ear-piercing cry in the distance. When she looked around, she couldn't find her hero anywhere.

"I know that scream anywhere! Link!" She rushed over to where she heard the scream coming from, and found Shadow Link. He was towering over Link with a dark sword in his hand, pointing it down right at his neck.

"Let go of him, you scoundrel!" She was so angry that she took him and threw him a mile away. She saw Link and ran over to him. He looked horrible. His clothes were stained red, he was bleeding out his side and chest, his once gone head wound was back and worse than last time, and sword cuts ran everywhere. His right arm was broken, and his left hand useless. It was the very image she didn't want to see with him.

"Link! What happened?!"

"Hurts...to...talk…" He said.

"Link, you…can talk?" He had already passed out before she finished. "Link! Wake up!" He said nothing more. Midna picked him up and carried him away, to a spirit's spring. Faron Spring was still there, so she set him down in the water. With her power she purified the water around him. She hastily washed all the bloodstains off his clothes, and bandaged his wounds. But that did not help much, as he was dying with each passing minute. She then carried him to the mountains to hide from the war. It was the middle of the day, so she would use the time she had to gather firewood. She figured the heat would help, as it usually would.

She set out to find loose branches and logs in the woods nearby, when she stumbled upon something. It looked like a large mound, and when she dug through it, she found something she thought she would never find, something that made her cry. That something was...her mother, Midnight. She was dead. Around her neck lay a necklace, and when she read it, it said "Link" in ancient Hylian. Beside her was a note that was addressed for her. She opened it and began reading.

My dear Midna,

Though we've been apart for some time, I set out to find you. I wrote this so that you would know my intentions, for I knew you would find me dead if you were to ever find this. You've probably found a necklace in the Nayru Forest that said "Zelda" in Ancient Hylian. That necklace is but one of four, and it has special properties. Once the four are united, they could be used to end the impending war. At first, I thought you were dead, but when I heard that a legendary princess set off to the World of Light to end the War of Twilight, I couldn't take any chances. So I set off to follow you so I could give you this special necklace. But I was ambushed by three demons that looked alike, who looked like the Hero of Time in the legends. So, as I was dying, I wrote this note for you. Please, find the other two necklaces. In all, the names will be that of two princesses, the hero, and a great evil. Midna, save the world, or all the worlds, from the untold evil that lurks in the shadows of the war.

-Midnight

When Midna finished reading, she felt more tears form, but she held them back. She took the necklace from around her mother's neck, gathered wood for the fire, and headed back to Link. She thought she could've forgotten about her mother after all this time, and had done a pretty good job, but seeing her dead…

He was still where she left him, so she didn't have to worry about looking for him all over the world. She built a fire for them, and right on time, because it was twilight. She thought about the Dusk of Time, and what it would be like. If anything, it would be the opposite of the Dawn of Time. She then looked over at Link, who was now completely pale. His breaths were ragged and uneven. She tried calling to him to see if he could be reached.

"Please, Link, not now! Don't die now!"

He said nothing. He was still unconscious. She laid her ear against his chest and hoped with all her life he was still alive when she couldn't hear him breathing. She closed her eyes and prayed to all four Goddesses for the first time that they would spare him. His heart was still beating, just barely.

The tears she held back for hours finally burst out, and as she cried, she sang the song that she was taught in the dream back in Lanayru Desert. It is the key to healing, as it said.

Day to night, dark to light,

Fall the Sands of Time.

Let the years, like the gears,

Of a clock unwind.

In your mind, walk through time,

Back to better days.

Memories, like a dream,

Wash tears away.

Like a star in the sky, darkness can't reach you,

Light the night, joy is light,

Till the new dawn.

Cast away your old face,

Let go your spite,

With this mask I ask to borrow your light!

Link awoke for a moment. "The Triforce of…Time. Midna…y…you have it, don't you?"

She paused for a moment, as she was still surprised by the fact that he can talk. "Yes, I do, Link." It saddened her even more to hear him speak now and sound so...broken than it did to see him the way he was.

He smiled and passed out again. "Maybe I should let him lay down. He's been through too much. Please, Link, heal for me..."

In Link's dream, two forces, good and evil, fought over a divine power unknown to many. What could it be? Could this be the complete Tetraforce, as it was only once before, in the ancient legends? In the middle of the warring forces of his dream, someone appeared.

Link…hero chosen by the Goddesses…you must learn this song…the Serenade of Water… It is the key to spiritual growth…

Time passes, people move.

Like a river's flow, it never ends.

A childish mind will turn to noble ambition.

Young love will become deep affection.

The clear water's surface reflects growth.

Now listen to the Serenade of Water to reflect upon yourself…

Two weeks passed, and Link still did not wake up. He was alive, to be sure, but he was still out cold. And his loss of blood didn't help either. Of course, he was once again shivering relentlessly, and this time it made sense. How could he still be alive after two weeks of this? Perhaps the Goddesses had heard her plea and helped him.

Weeks passed, the War of Twilight still echoes in the distance, and Link is still asleep. What if…? Midna stopped her thought right there. She couldn't think of the what if. She couldn't think of anything anymore. She was simply too tired. She walked over to where Link slept. The Crest of the Triforce on his hand was no longer what it used to be. Instead it turned black. His entire body was turning black.

"He has not much time, Midna."

Startled, Midna turned around to find Zelda walking over.

"What do you mean? Why does he look like that?"

"It's because evil has infested his body. He doesn't have much time before he transforms back into his original form, Twilight Link. I fear a great evil is looking for him right now. You must guard him if he is to live."

Zelda walked off without another word, leaving Midna alone. She felt the presence of another being right behind her, and before she could turn around, Fierce Deity Link knocked her out. He left her on the ground and took Link away with him. "Such a pitiful being, Link is. Well, as long as I can have his Tetraforce, I'm happy. I shouldn't bring Midna and take the Triforce of Time from her, because she is quick with recovery. No, I'll have to wait on her. This one, however, is different. I had weakened him from the last battle we had, plus with the sickness he's had, so he should be no threat if he wakes up. Well, it's to the North Castle then."

Where am I? How do I remember this place? What's that over there? Is that…the flame!

Go save Link. He needs you. They all need you. If the Tetraforce is complete, there's no telling what will happen. Find Ganondorf and Zelda. They can help you.

But Ganondorf's evil, and dead. Why would he help me?

He's no longer evil, Midna. Gather the other sacred necklaces and the two with the Triforces of Power and Wisdom. Save Link. Save everyone. They need you…

"Midna! Wake up!"

"Zelda? What happened? Wait… Link! He's in danger!"

"I know, Midna. I saw everything. Fierce Deity Link is heading to the North Castle with Link to finish the ritual he started. I know the flame you were dreaming about. I had the same one. We have to find Ganondorf in the Twilight Realm. The ritual will take longer to complete, however, because they will not be in the right place. Sealed and secluded areas are best for it to be done. Let's go find him before it's too late, Midna. Together, we can do anything."

"How did you know I had that dream?"

"Let's not worry about that now. Let's just worry about rescuing Link."

"Wait! One more thing. I heard of sacred necklaces that were hidden among four people, and when they were united, they could stop the war. What are the necklaces' power exactly?"

"They will grant the wearer ultimate power over evil. It will help stop the War of Twilight. Do you have any?"

Midna was still in fear that they would be taken away from her, so she simply answered "No."

They traveled back to the Mirror of Twilight, where they passed through to the Twilight Realm. But what they didn't know was that Shadow Link had trailed behind them. With one swing of his sword, he once again broke the mirror, trapping them inside. He kept the pieces to himself and ran off to find Fierce Deity and Dark Link so he could witness Link's transformation.

"The mirror! It's broken!" Midna screamed.

"I know, I know. Right now we have to find Ganondorf, and then we use the hole in the sky that Link created last era to get out of here."

"He should be in the Palace of Twilight, where he usually is. I think we should look there." Hmm… Zelda doesn't seem the same as when I first met her. Was she possessed? Or had she just matured with battle?

Midna and Zelda simply pressed on without another word between them. Midna was thinking hard about Twilight Link. I wonder what he would be like. He is nearly identical to Link, just like the others, that's for sure, but there has to be something else about him that made him their leader. And how could he have been evil before? When I first met him, he was the silent protagonist that everyone knows, so what's changed, other than the fact that he can finally talk?

Before they made it to the Palace of Twilight, Ganondorf saw them. He called down to them from where he was. "You, down there! I know you. Midna and Zelda, am I right?" He jumped down from the throne room and lighted in front of them.

"How do you not remember us very well? We battled you last era, so you should know."

"I remember very well what happened and who you are. But don't worry, I'm a good guy now. So you don't have to fight me anymore. I know what you're after. You have to find the four sacred necklaces, and you think I have one of them. Yes, I do, and I will gladly give it to you. Right now, however, we have to find Link and save him. That hole in the sky will help us return to the Light World."

"How do you know about what happened to Link?" Zelda and Midna asked together.

"Ever since I transformed, my mind has cleared up, allowing for meditation. As I spent my years meditating, I saw that Link was in danger, and that I was one who was destined to save him and all of Hyrule from the War of Twilight."

Ganondorf, Midna, and Zelda all returned to the World of Light and headed toward the North Castle. Midna warped them all there, because she sensed a portal near there. They found that the place was too well guarded to fight their way through, so they had to sneak in. It was still odd how the Demon King was helping them rescue the hero, though he said he was good now.

"Alright, so we have to find another way in, you two. The only way in is through the ceiling. Midna, do you think you can take us there?"

"Are you kidding? Of course I can. There's no portal up there, but I can create one. Stand back."

With the light from her twilight magic, she sent a large blast into the air above the North Castle, creating a new portal from the Twilight Realm. Now they could gt in. "There. It's all ready for us to use. Let's head in. Link is in great danger, and I fear that the ritual is almost complete!"

Stealthily, they snuck through the interior of the North Castle, where they found a locked room. Listening inside, they heard Fierce Deity Link chanting something. It sounded as though it was almost complete.

"We have to sneak in there and take him by surprise, or he will notice us. Got it?" Ganondorf instructed the others.

"Got it." The others replied.

They quietly unlocked the door and went in, creeping toward him. But he noticed anyway. He snapped his fingers, and Dark and Shadow Link flew out of the sky toward them. They had their swords in hand and were ready to fight, as Fierce Deity was nearing completion.

"Did you really think you could sneak up on me in the middle of an important ritual? You're too late anyway, because the transformation is finally complete. Twilight Link, rise up and kill them!"

The transformed Link stood up and immediately started charging at Zelda, Midna, and Ganondorf. He pulled out the Master Sword, which he could still wield since he was Link, and began slashing at them. The darkness wielding the Master Sword drove Fi out of it.

"Master, what happened to you?" Fi said quietly.

"Fi! He's not your master! What you see is his previous form, Twilight Link!" Zelda yelled to her across the room, while avoiding the sword.

"Then I think it's time we end him!"

"Fi! Why would you do that? He's still Link, just possessed! What we really have to do is drive out the darkness so his good spirit can come out, then we abolish the dark!"

"Midna! Watch out!" A voice called, but before she could look, she was knocked out once more.

"Midna!" Zelda tried to come to her aid, but she too was rendered powerless, as was Ganondorf. The four Links just stood there, laughing, as they had done their part for the time being. They knew what had to be done at that moment.


	33. Time to End This

_Midna… Wake up, Midna…_

_Who's there? Where am I? And how is this voice familiar?_

_Your power is like none other… You mustn't let the enemy take it from you… The Triforce of Time is the most powerful of them all… You must not let them have it…or the world will be destroyed… The Dusk of Time…will soon be upon us… Midna… Save Link from the force of evil… In his wicked heart still lies the spirit of the hero… Save the world, Midna… They need you…_

_Hylia? Is that you? Where am I?_

_You are in the dream world, Midna… It was once destroyed by Link…_

_What? But he only destroys evil, not good! And why couldn't he talk before?_

_Because… When he was born thousands of years ago…his first life…he was raised in an evil family, so he was raised evil… He set out in relentless pursuit of the Tetraforce… When he obtained it, he transformed into Twilight Link, the one you see now… He caused much chaos in the world, until the four Goddesses had to intervene… We challenged him to a battle that would determine the fate of the world… This was known as the first War of Twilight… He had transformed into the Fierce Deity Link, demanding more power from the Tetraforce… It was a great war, and much of the world was destroyed, but we beat him… He returned to Twilight Link, and when we stripped him of the Tetraforce, he returned to his old self… We sealed his dark spirit in a mask, the Fierce Deity Mask… We then decided that, as punishment for what he had done, we would set a curse upon him… So he would be reincarnated every one hundred years, bearing the responsibility of protecting Hyrule with the Triforce of Courage… We also set a curse on him that disabled all speech… The only way he could regain his voice was… True Love… Midna… He loves you… Wake up… Midna…_

At that second, Midna woke up to find herself on the altar. Twilight Link was performing the ritual.

"Link, stop! This isn't you!"

"I see you're awake, princess. Too bad that won't do you any good in this. The Triforce of Time is a power that evil must have, and nobody can get in the way, seeing as how they are powerless. Now hold still while I take it from you."

"Wait! Can I at least sing one last song?"

Twilight Link stopped what he was doing. "Alright. As long as it's just a song. Lament away, Midna."

"Thank you." She cleared her throat and began singing a sacred song in Ancient Hylian.

_En dashaybu,_

_Na bey shundu,_

_Tyeshu Tu,_

_Kevaynu sa le!_

It was the Ballad of the Goddess, the shortest song in history. It's translation was:

_Oh youth,_

_guided by the servant of the Goddess,_

_unite Earth and Sky,_

_and bring light to the land!_

In truth, most of it was forgotten, so that was the only part anyone could sing.

"That's what you call a song? It's pretty short, considering-"

Suddenly he began to glow with the power of the song.

"What's…happening to me…?"

"The Ballad of the Goddess may be a short song, but it's sacred. Goodbye, Twilight Link!"

The holy power coursing through him would've taken him, but he resisted it's power. Instead, he ran off, toward where they assumed to be the Twilight Realm.

"After him!" One of them shouted, but they were too focused to know who.

As fast as they could, they all ran after Twilight Link, who was desperately trying to resist the power of the Goddesses. The air felt heavy around them as they ran. He was gaining great distance from them, and was almost to the Mirror of Twilight. He arrived only a short time before they did.

"Come on, Link! I know you're in there!"

"He's in there, but can't hear you. He is long gone from this world, and I have taken his place. Ah, I can feel his spirit trying so desperately to escape, and it amuses me. To see the weakness and pain I have brought upon him is so refreshing!"

"You...you're lying…"

"Am I really? Then why do I feel as though I'm right?"

She looked to the ground, as did the others. All except for Ganondorf, who was always the persistent type. He had second thoughts about giving up this soon.

"If you've really won, then where is the eternal darkness? You can't explain that now, can you?"

"I am waiting for the right time...besides, you've always been one to wait, and to put things off… I know you far too well, Ganondorf. Now shut up while I do this."

Midna said nothing. The others hung their heads as she devised a plan. When she saw Twilight Link leaving for the forest, she enacted it, until Zelda stopped her.

"It's no use, Midna. Just let him go…"

"You're going to force me to sit back while my friend destroys the world?!"

"We don't have a choice."

"She has a point, Midna."

All the anger that she had kept to herself finally let loose as if to her own accord. "You're heartless, Zelda! Do you not see that the end of the world is here? You just want to sit back and watch while your people die! Is that it? Is that really what you want, to see your Hyruleans die? And your friend there is possessed by his evil spirit! He is going to destroy the world, and you're going to let him?!"

She sighed and hung her head once again.

"...Anyway, I have an idea. No evil can resist the entire song.

_Oh, one of youth,_

_Goddess, guide you,_

_ground, lead you,_

_bring the light to land._

_When darkness falls,_

_courage, guide you,_

_light meets you,_

_hold your sword skyward!_

_Peace once again will find it's way,_

_the Goddess will find a path._

_Know what is true,_

_believe in your strength,_

_the light will carve the way!_

_Oh youth,_

_guided by the servant of the Goddess,_

_unite earth and sky,_

_and bring light to the land…_

_En dashaybu,_

_na bey shundu,_

_Tyeshu Tu,_

_kevaynu, sa le!"_

"N...no...stop this...this...madness!"

"Goodbye for real this time, Twilight Link. I hope you never return to the World of Light again."

All the evil power that inhabited Link left him, returning him to his original state. He looked at Midna, and collapsed.

"Is he dead?" Zelda asked Midna.

"No. It's just shock. He'll recover soon. For now, let's get him out of here."

They traveled back to the mountains where they were, and they laid Link down on the ground. He finally looked at peace. True peace. They were so tired that they also fell asleep on the ground.

In Zelda's dream, a mysterious voice called to her. It sounded similar to someone she knew.

_Hylia… Listen well to me… for I call to your spirit from my end of the universe… It's time for you to awaken to your true form…_

_Nayru?_

_Yes… It's me, Nayru, Goddess of Wisdom…_

_Nayru, what's happened? What is this twist of fate we're in?_

_Hylia… You possess the memories of your immortal form… Surely you should know… You have imprisoned Demise thousands of years ago, and you have slumbered in the sacred crystal to keep the bonds strong… In that time, a hero was born… The hero you know today is an incarnate of the Hero of Time, all bearing the title… In this realm, the hero and the princess are always in danger… Zelda… It's time for you to awaken… We will be waiting for you…_

Zelda awoke with a start. "It was just a dream. Just a dream." She said to herself.

"It wasn't just a dream, Zelda."

"Midna? How do you know what my dream was?"

She smiled. "Because I had it, too. The Goddess Hylia came to me in my dream when I was knocked out by Twilight Link. She told me that my power was unlike any other, and I couldn't let anyone take it."

"Did she say anything about 'awakening'?"

"As a matter of fact, she did. Do you know anything about Hylia?"

"No. I don't." Zelda lied.

"I know you're lying, Zelda. It's in the tone of your voice. Besides, I long knew you were Hylia reborn. I just wanted to see your reaction."

"I don't think we have to worry about that right now, because look. I think that Link is waking up, after weeks. Wait, do you notice that his arm isn't broken? It looks as if nothing happened to him. What do you think happened?"

"The transformation healed him so he could fight. When the evil left him, his good spirit let him stay healed. That is what happened."

"What's going on here?" Link mumbled as he stood up and dusted himself off. "I feel as though I haven't walked in weeks."

"Hey...this kid can talk?" Ganondorf said as he walked over.

"Alright, somebody please tell me what Ganondorf's doing here. Isn't he evil or something?"

"I'm not evil anymore, Link. I've changed while you were dead for a hundred years. I realized that you've been through too much, so I have forced the Gerudo ladies to start raising their future kings to do good, not evil."

"Uh, thanks…? But doesn't that mean there will be no more need for the Tetraforce, or even a new Hylian hero?"

"You could say that, but nevertheless, you will still be reborn every hundred years with the Tetraforce, as well as Zelda, Midna, and I. But there should be no more evil in the world after this war is over. Speaking of which, I think that we should get back there and end it. After all, the Dusk of Time isn't supposed to happen for another few thousand years. So you should have a few hundred lifetimes left. But, Midna, I think Link here has something to say to you."

"Yes, I don't know how you know that, but there is something I have to say to you. Midna, you're a Hylian."

"What?! But how can that be? I was born into the Twilight Realm, so I am a Twilit, not a Hylian!"

"Midna, you have the ears that allow you to hear the voices of the Goddesses. It's true that you are, in fact, of my culture. You were chosen by the Goddess Hylia to possess the Triforce of Time. Only Hylians are able to wield the awesome power. Have you noticed that Zelda, Ganondorf, and I are Hylians by birth through all eras?"

"I guess so. But we can't dwell on that now! Right now, we have to end the War of Twilight, so let's go!"


	34. The Legend of Midna

p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"The sound of dying Hylians grew louder as they grew closer. They were losing the war. Link stumbled behind them as they ran./span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""You girls keep going ahead. I'll help him." Ganondorf stayed behind to help him walk. "You sure are weak for sleeping so long. I thought that you would've been strengthened when you were possessed."span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""I was possessed? When was that?"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""You mean to say you don't remember? Fierce Deity Link performed some ritual on you at the North Castle that turned you evil. We tried to help, but you were too strong. You even drove that Fi thing out of the Master Sword. The only reason you weren't killed by that sword was because you were the same person. You are, after all, the only person in the world who can wield it. Otherwise, I could've beaten you eras ago by taking it away from you."span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""What about all the other times when I didn't have it? Even when I was seven years old back in the Era of the Great Sea?"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Don't talk about that era, you know how fat and out of shape I was! But of course, you did have the Master Sword at that time, as well, but it lost it's power, so I guess that counts. Anyway, we're almost there. Just a little longer, and you can fight."span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Ganondorf, I can barely walk without support. I don't think I can fight anymore."span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""We all know that's a lie. You're doing just fine, and I'm not helping you right now. So I think that you will be fine."span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Yeah, but I still feel like something's going to happen. Something I don't understand. What do you think it is?"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Link, you know that I don't understand all this future stuff. But whatever it is, I think you'll find out soon after the war, if all goes well. Maybe it's something with the Dusk of Time, or maybe even your dream of the Goddess."span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" "Where did you get that from? How did you know this?"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""No time to answer. We're here!"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"In the midst of the battle, swords clashed, and Hylians were ruthlessly killed. Yet they still stood on their feet and fought to the death. The people did not want to give up, no matter what they saw. Zelda watched it all with tears in her eyes as she saw the Hylians dying.span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""My beloved people. My Hylians. How could I have been so selfish? How could I let this happen to them, for thousands of years? This is all my fault, and I wish I never sacrificed my immortality. If I had stayed as the Goddess I was, this wouldn't have happened, this whole thing could've been avoided!"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Zelda, this is not your fault. If anything, it's mine. I was the one who almost died, who was possessed, and who nearly killed you. If I had been more vigilant, we could've won this war already. That is why I know what we have to do. All three of you, take my hand. I have a ritual of my own."span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"All four of them joined hands, and Link started chanting a prayer in Ancient Hylian.span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Din, Farore, Nayru, Hylia, hear my prayer. In this world of destruction and despair, grant us the light to vanquish evil forever!"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Suddenly, a great wind blew, and there was a flash of light as bright as the sun. Link, Midna, Zelda, and Ganondorf all transformed into spirits, the Crest of the Triforce on each hand shining brightly. The full form of the complete Tetraforce revealed itself in the sky, cutting through the darkness. With the hole it created, spirits from heaven above descended upon them. Three spirits appeared before them.span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Din." Ganondorf said.span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Farore." Link whispered.span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Nayru." Zelda murmured.span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Link… chosen Hero of Hylia… We are here for you in your time of need…" Farore spoke to his spirit. No others could hear them.span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Farore… What's happening to me?" Link asked the green Goddess as he saw that he was disappearing.span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""You are fading from existence… Soon you will be gone completely… You must help the Hylians win… Or the world will be dominated by evil… And all who follow the Goddesses will fade forever…"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""How can I help if I am fading from existence? I can't do anything!"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""You haven't been rendered powerless yet… Parts of you will disappear… First your voice… Next, your strength… And last… Your life…" Farore faded away into the light of the sky.span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Farore! Wait!" But she was gone, into the war as a normal human. Link turned to Din and Nayru. "As the Goddesses of Power and Wisdom, can't you do anything?"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""No, Link. The fate of the world rests in your faded hands. We wish you the best of luck. I wish we could do more." Nayru said to him, and the two Goddesses also followed Farore into battle as humans.span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Midna turned to him. "What did she say?"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Midna! I'm going to fade from existence!"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""What?!"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Farore said that if the Hylians lose this war, all who follow the Goddess will disappear forever! She said that first I will lose my voice, then my strength, then my life. Midna, we have to do something or-"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Before Link could finish, he went quiet. He tried to talk, but no sound came out.span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Link! You lost your voice!" Zelda cried out.span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""And just when he was really starting to enjoy the feeling of talking!" Midna said.span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Princesses, I think by what's going on that he has not much time left. We have to win, or he will die!"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""We have the complete Tetraforce, so we should use that to our advantage. Didn't the ancient legend once say something about granting wishes?"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Yes, Midna. spanspan style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"The Tetraforce does not distinguish between good and evil, so it allows both good and bad wishes. But a strong heart, innate ability, and a balance of the four virtues, Power, Wisdom, Courage, and Time are required to be granted a wish. If one who does not possess this balance touches the Tetraforce, it's pieces will split apart, and the finder is left with the piece that personifies what he or she values the most. The other three pieces will appear on the hands of three individuals chosen by the will of the Goddess. Only when the four pieces are reunited will one gain true power./spanspan style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""/span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""So the Tetraforce grants wishes? Why didn't I think of that before? We could've wished for the end of the war a while ago, or even wished for Link to heal and be granted great power over the evil that possessed him!"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"It started to rain. A great thunderstorm, larger than any other since the beginning of time. The Tetraforce shimmered in the water as the sky grew darker.span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""It's time to make our wish. Everyone, close your eyes and concentrate hard. Wish for the destruction of evil forever!"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"They all made their wish, but before they could finish, the Twili started to charge at them. The Hylians were all possessed by Shadow Link, forced to do his bidding. Link faded completely when he saw this. He was gone.span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Link! Come back! You can't disappear now, not after what we've been through!"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Who's Link? Who are you talking to, Midna?" Zelda asked her.span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"It's as if he never existed! I have to save him!span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"A piece of the Tetraforce began to disappear. Now they could not make their wish. Soon, only Power, Wisdom, and Time remained.span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Hey, did you notice that we're still spirits? We could easily win this war!"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""You're right! But, when did we turn into spirits? Where's my body?"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Zelda, you really don't know? We did when Link had chanted that Hylian prayer."span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Who's Link? Where's the Triforce of Courage?"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Alright, then I will have to re-explain everything to you. Link is the Hero of Time, or was, and he was the possessor of the Triforce of Courage. He faded from existence when the Hylians lost the war, and that's why you don't remember him."span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""If we don't remember this 'Link', then how do you?"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""I don't know, but that doesn't matter. What does matter is that we help the Hylians. The Dusk of Time isn't supposed to happen for thousands of years from now, so we have to prevent it from happening now!"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"They charged into battle once more, with Ganondorf at their side this time, without Link. Midna was distracted by thoughts of Link, but still kept her watch and fought bravely. She didn't, however, kill any of the Hylians, just her own people, the Twili. It sounds cruel for the Twilight Princess, but it was what had to be done. They were split up once again, Power, Wisdom, and Time, separated. The very person, the Twilight Princess, who had once thought of the Hyruleans as stupid and ugly, was now fighting for them. It wouldn't make sense, but it does.span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" They charged at the Twili, and lost themselves in the battle. They all fought bravely, and were beating them back. In the midst of it all, Midna saw a great light descend from the sky. It was the green of Farore, but it wasn't her. As this was happening, the possessed Hylian soldiers were set free of the curse that bound them for weeks. The green light, when Midna got a better look at it, formed a familiar shape that she only knew as…span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Link! You're back! But how?"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Midna, it's because the Hylians once again have the scales tipped in their favor. When evil dominates over good, all who serve the Goddesses vanish forever, for as long as the evil dominates. If good beats evil back once more, all who serve the Goddesses will reappear. Now that the Hylians are back, we can end this war once and for all!"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""You got it, Link! Let's do this!"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"The three heroes, now reunited with Link, beat back the Twili with their sacred power unknown to many. They were separated once again, however, and they had not noticed until it was too late. When Link and the Hylians beat the Twili back through the portal forever, he turned around to find that Midna wasn't there. He set out to look for her. The Forest of Hylia was burning to the ground, and in a ring of fire, he saw a figure leaned against an unscathed tree. When he got closer, he recognized the figure. It was Midna, weakly calling out to him. He ran over as quickly as he could, and when he got a better look at her, he saw how much she had been injured. Her left arm was broken, half of her right arm completely severed, both her legs shattered, and yet she was smiling.span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""spanspan style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Midna/spanspan style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"! What happened to you?! Who did this?! Whoever did this is going to-"/span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Stop, Link… It really is alright… My destiny is fulfilled, so you no longer have need of me… Just know that…"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Save your breath, Midna. You'll be alright. I will send for help right away!"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""No… You don't need to do that, not for someone as cruel as me…"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""What are you saying? I never knew you as cruel!"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Then you don't know me… Last era, I would always beat you… I didn't know or understand the human heart… But now as I lay here dying… I realize that I was wrong… I have come to understand a truth from the Goddess Hylia… I now know that you love me… and I love you, too… Link… whatever happens… whatever you may encounter in life… just know that…"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Please, Midna! Don't say such things! And how could you be smiling at a time like this? You know that we will always need you!"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Stop… Right there you are wrong… You see, you really don't have need of me… You have survived the curse that was set upon you… You have survived seventeen years without me… You don't have need of me… I am smiling because I know that my duty is complete… and that I won't go without saying one thing… spanspan style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"My spirit…will always…be with you…/spanspan style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"" She sighed with relief and died./span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Midna…" Was all he could say.span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Now I understand her love for you… You were meant for each other… But she had to go…" Link turned around and found Zelda standing there beside him. "Link… There's one more thing you must see. Follow me."span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"He was led to the heart of the forest, where he found the Crest of Hylia on the ground under his feet. Zelda stood there, in the center of the ancient symbol. He looked at her in wonder, as he didn't know what was about to happen.span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""I am sorry I have to do this, but it had to be done… As you know, I am Hylia reborn. But did you read the rest of the legend?"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""No. If you're talking about Legend of the Goddesses, no."span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""This is what it says:span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"As the War of Twilight comes to a close, an ancient princess dies in the Forest of Hylia, and Hylia reborn has to do one last job. She will return to the heavens for all eternity, as will the Hero of Time when his life ends… It will be the end of the lineage of Hylian heroes and princesses, as in only a few thousand years, the Dusk of Time will arrive… It will be the end of one world, and the start of another… A world without evil, the true Hyrule, the true Land of the Gods…spanspan style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""/span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Does this mean…that we will cease to exist…forever?"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""No, it just means that our mortal selves will cease to exist forever… We will become as god and Goddess, like we originally were…"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""But wasn't I Twilight Link originally?"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""No. That was your second form… Your original form was that of the most powerful deity to ever exist… Link… The legend intends to say that once we die, we will never be reincarnated again…and our lineage will die out forever… You must accept this…for it was destiny that brought us together as mortals, now it will bring us together as immortals… I will see you on the other side, Link… But for now, go to the ruins of Hyrule Castle…and read the legend set there… It must be finished and named by the hero's hands… Farewell, Link… May we meet again in another life…"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Princess Zelda regained her immortal form, as Hylia the Goddess, and left the world forever. Link would soon follow after her, and after him, the world. Or was the legend wrong?span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""It's time to see the legend, and finish it. I guess that means Hyrule Castle it is!"span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"He traveled alone, the whereabouts of Ganondorf unknown, and soon arrived at the blue ice that encased the ancient castle. He went inside and found the ancient legend. It was time to finish writing it. He took a pen in hand and wrote:span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"The war has ended, and two princesses died. The Twilight Princess was killed in battle, and the Hylian princess returned to the heavens as the Goddess Hylia. The Dusk of Time was prevented, for now. The cycle of Hylian heroes and princesses has ended, so here I, Link, the descendant of the Hero of Time, write this legend, to ensure that future generations will read this and think of the hardship that was experienced here. This legend is like none other, about a great princess who rose up against evil and destroyed it forever.span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"He now realized how Midna had regained her imp form. When she returned to the World of Light by the will of the Goddesses, she was ambushed by Link's dark spirit, Twilight Link, who had been reawakened in the impending war, and cursed her once more. She was then encased in the same blue ice that trapped Hyrule Castle.span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Link tried to think of how to finish the story, so that it could be passed down through the years. He tried to think of a name for this legend. He thought of it then when he thought of Midna and Zelda. He decided the name.span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"As the legend comes to a close, I now think of an official name for it… From now on, it shall be known with one name.span/p  
>p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"This name for the legend has come to be known as…span/p  
>p style="text-align: center;"span id="docs-internal-guid-36c1ddc4-08e0-5425-9947-d0e34445bfa5"br span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Merriweather; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;"The Legend of Midna /span/span/p 


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